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GREENWOOD / BLACK WALL STREET WILMINGTON 1898 LITTLE ROCK NINE TUSKEGEE STUDY ROSEWOOD 1923 THE TUSKEGEE AIRMEN SENECA VILLAGE BLACK TOWNS GREENWOOD / BLACK WALL STREET WILMINGTON 1898 LITTLE ROCK NINE TUSKEGEE STUDY ROSEWOOD 1923 THE TUSKEGEE AIRMEN SENECA VILLAGE BLACK TOWNS
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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...

Ruler of the Mali Empire in the 14th century

Mansa Musa was the ruler of the Mali Empire in West Africa. Details recorded here should be sourced; unknown information is left blank.

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

Crank toy in the form of a minstrel banjo player and minstrel male dancer

Date
mid 20th century
Created by
Unidentified
Description
A handmade, wooden crank toy in the form of caricatures of a banjo player and male dancer. The toy has a wooden base, open at the front and back, with two (2) carved, wooden figures on top. Both figures have jointed arms and legs, white plastic hands and have a metal wire attaching them to the crank mechanism. The figure on the left is a male dancer. His head and body are primarily painted black. He has round white eyes and lip white lips. A white strip on plastic runs down the center of the torso representing a white shirt. The shirt has two (2) silver pins resembling buttons. The figure on the right is a banjo player seated on a wooden seat. He is nearly identical to the figure on the left except with the addition of a black hat with a green brim and a tan hand band and the banjo he is holding. The banjo has a black neck, white head and silver tacks attached around the head. Just above the base of the toy is a hand-operated mechanism to move the figures. The mechanism includes a wooden dowel with a wooden crank is threaded through round holes in the sides. Two (2) wooden squares are attached to the dowel, that turn beneath two white plastic wiffle golf balls. The golf balls have threaded through a second dowel that is attached to a board, with arches cut-out above the golf balls. The dancer is connected at the back to the mechanism and the banjo player is connected via his proper left hand. When the crank is turned, the blocks cause the balls to turn and the panel to move, resulting in the dancing motion of the dancer and the strumming of the banjo by the banjo player.
Statement
Objects depicting racist and/or stereotypical imagery or language may be offensive and disturbing, but the NMAAHC aims to include them in the Collection to present and preserve the historical context in which they were created and used. Objects of this type provide an important historical record from which to study and evaluate racism.
Topic
African American
Caricature and cartoons
Domestic life
Stereotypes
See more items in
National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Collection title
Collection of James M. Caselli and Jonathan Mark Scharer
Classification
Toys and Games
Racist and Stereotypical Objects
Exhibition
Defending Freedom, Defining Freedom: The Era of Segregation, 1876-1968
On View
NMAAHC (1400 Constitution Ave NW), National Mall Location, Concourse 2, C 2053
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of the Collection of James M. Caselli and Jonathan Mark Scharer
Data Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Object number
2007.7.265
Type
mechanical toys
Restrictions & Rights
No Known Copyright Restrictions
Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
Medium
wood , metal and plastic
Dimensions
16 x 11 3/4 x 5 7/16 in. (40.6 x 29.8 x 13.8 cm)
Title
Object Name • Crank toy in the form of a minstrel banjo player and minstrel male dancer
Record ID
nmaahc_2007.7.265
Museum
NMAAHC
Title Sort
CRANK TOY IN THE FORM OF A MINSTREL BANJO PLAYER AND MINSTREL MALE DANCER
Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Metadata Usage
CC0
Date
1940s • 1960s
Topic
Domestic life • Caricature and cartoons • Stereotypes
Culture
African Americans
Exhibition
NMAAHC • Defending Freedom, Defining Freedom: The Era of Segregation, 1876-1968
Type
mechanical toys
On Physical Exhibit
Yes
Online Media Type
Images
Online Media Rights
No Known Copyright Restrictions

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

Mechanical toy in the form of a caricatured boy in a mule led racing cart

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

Crank toy in the form of a minstrel banjo player and minstrel male dancer

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

Crank toy in the form of two minstrel male dancers

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

Black Enterprise February 1991

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.