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THE JOURNEY THROUGH TIME
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MY'STORY

The MOVE Fire

This is a personal recollection on the Move fire on May 13, 1985 Philadelphia police fired thousands of rounds at the MOVE house, city officials approved dropping an explosive device on the roof, the resulting fire was allowed to burn, 11 people—including five children—died, and 61 homes were destroyed. Philadelphia City Council later called it a “brutal attack carried out by the City of Philadelphia on its own citizens” and acknowledged that no individual faced criminal consequences for the bombing. One timeline correction worth preserving for the BHP record: the major previous MOVE-police confrontation was August 8, 1978, about seven years before the bombing, not a year or two earlier. Officer James Ramp was killed, other police and firefighters were wounded, nine MOVE members were later convicted, and television cameras recorded police beating Delbert Africa during his arrest. The 1985 MOVE Commission later specifically criticized city planners for failing to adequately use lessons from that 1978 confrontation. And that actually strengthens the point you’re making: 1985 did not happen without precedent or institutional memory. There had already been a deadly confrontation with MOVE, years of conflict, negotiations and police involvement before Osage Avenue.

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BLACK FACTS
The Truths They Never Taught You...

Wilmington 1898 — An American Coup

Wilmington, North Carolina once had a thriving Black middle class and an elected interracial government. In 1898 white supremacists used violence to overthrow that government, kill Black residents and drive many others from the city.

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BHP gathered finds from its connected research sources. Showing the 4 strongest Black History matches.
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NMAAHC

Continuous service records for Alton Augustus Adams, Sr.

Date
1917-1945
Printed by
United States Navy, American, founded 1775
Subject of
Alton Augustus Adams Sr., Danish West Indian American, 1889 - 1987
Description
A tri-fold booklet holding Alton Augustus Adam’s Continuous Service Records from 1917-1945. The notebook has five interior pages that are off-white with black type. The pages are divided by titled columns at the top, with fill-in-the-blank squares below. The pages are filled in with typed and handwritten text throughout. Each page is filled out on the front and back. The pages are fastened on the left with two metal clasps. The clasps are bent over on the interior with button ends on the exterior. The cover is cardboard covered with a green fabric. The cover folds with the pages. Glued to the inside in the back is an off-white paper with black type. This paper is titled “INSTRUCTIONS / BUREAU OF NAVIGATION / NAVY DEPARTMENT / May 9, 1921.” There is also a round edged tab above the instructions page, with an off-white sticker, and black ink hand writing, reading “Alton A. Adams / 67782” at center.
Topic
African American
Band (Music)
Marching bands (Music)
Military
See more items in
National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Classification
Documents and Manuscripts
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Alton A. Adams, Jr. Trustee
Data Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Object number
2014.263.5
Type
documents
Restrictions & Rights
No Known Copyright Restrictions
Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
Medium
ink on paper, cardboard, fabric, metal
Dimensions
closed: 6 1/4 × 3 3/4 × 1 5/8 in. (15.9 × 9.5 × 4.1 cm)
open: 6 1/4 × 14 1/8 × 1 in. (15.9 × 35.9 × 2.5 cm)
Title
Object Name • Continuous service records for Alton Augustus Adams, Sr.
Record ID
nmaahc_2014.263.5
Museum
NMAAHC
Title Sort
CONTINUOUS SERVICE RECORDS FOR ALTON AUGUSTUS ADAMS, SR.
Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Metadata Usage
CC0
Date
1920s • 1940s
Name
Adams, Alton Augustus • United States Navy
Topic
Band (Music) • Marching bands (Music) • Military
Culture
African Americans
Type
Documents
Online Media Type
Images
Online Media Rights
No Known Copyright Restrictions

Media

Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture, Smithsonian Institution. Rights and restrictions shown above are supplied by the Smithsonian record.

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NMAAHC

African American Women in Suburbia

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

Cabinet card of Jessie Olive Adams photographed by J.P. Ball & Son

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NMAAHC

Flute used by Alton Augustus Adams Sr.

Date: Date

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NMAAHC

Continuous service records for Alton Augustus Adams, Sr.

Date: Date

Description

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TOPIC OF THE DAY

Greenwood / Black Wall Street

Before the 1921 destruction of Tulsa’s Greenwood District, Black residents had created a remarkable center of business and community life. The district included stores, professional offices, entertainment venues and homes owned by Black citizens. Understanding Greenwood means learning what was built—not only what was burned.

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TRIVIA QUESTION OF THE DAY

Who became the first Black woman to travel into space?

Mae Jemison, aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour in 1992.