"First Day" (newsletter of The MOVE Organization) collection, 1994-2000

In 1973, MOVE formed around the principles of John Africa (formerly Vincent Leaphart), which called for a vigorous rejection of the norms and conventions of modern technological society. The disruptive lifestyle of MOVE members led to conflict with neighbors and the police. Tensions came to a head in a standoff in Powelton Village in 1978, which resulted in the death of a police officer, and the arrest and long-term imprisonment of nine MOVE members. In 1982, MOVE relocated to Osage Avenue near Cobbs Creek Park where a confrontation over similar issues led to a more devastating result. The MOVE fire of May 13, 1985 killed 11 MOVE members and destroyed 61 neighborhood homes. In the aftermath, two investigations excoriated city officials' decision-making in the making of the tragedy. For more than 30 years, corruption and improprieties have plagued attempts to rebuild the burned Osage Avenue houses. In the 1990s, the remaining members of MOVE relocated peacefully to the Spruce Hill neighborhood.

First Day was the official newspaper and newsletter published by the MOVE organization, a Philadelphia-based radical Black liberation and eco-revolutionary group. Primarily active in print during the mid-1990s (specifically spanning circa 1994 to 1996), the publication served as a critical direct-communication channel for the group.