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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...

Katherine Johnson — Mathematics to the Moon

Katherine Johnson’s mathematical calculations helped guide some of America’s most important early space missions while she confronted the racial and gender barriers faced by Black women in twentieth-century America.

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

Kard with sheath owned by Lt. Vernon O. Nicolls

Date
before 1800
Manufactured by
Unidentified
Owned by
Lieutenant Vernon O. Nicolls, American, 1909 - 2003
Caption
Vernon Nicolls was born in Barbados in 1909 and immigrated to the U.S. in 1915. During World War II, while living in Brooklyn, Nicolls enlisted as a Private in the Army at Fort Jay on Governor's Island, New York, in 1942. After graduating from Officer Candidate School, Lieutenant Nicolls served in Italy with the 758th Tank Battalion, the Army's first African American armored unit. It is likely that he acquired this kard as a souvenir of his war service while stationed overseas.
Description
A metal kard (2014.142.5a) with a metal sheath (2014.142.5b) owned by Lt. Vernon O. Nicolls. The kard has a bronze color metal blade and metal wired-wrapped handle. The knife is barbed on the knife's spine, near the tip and is notched on the heel near the bolster. The blade has a floral pattern with a bird etched into both sides of the body of the blade and the numbers [179[2?] etched on the right side near the bolster. The pattern runs about a third of the length of the blade. The wired-wrapped handle has a spiral pattern that serves as a hand grip, and runs the full length of the handle. The butt of the handle is covered in a flower shaped plate that extends over the bottom of the handle. A small metal loop protrudes from the knife's butt that can extend out several millimeters and is held in place via a spring inside the handle. The sheath (2014.142.5b) is the same bronze color metal as the knife and is stamped with a stippled floral pattern on both sides that extends from the base of the sheath to almost the midpoint. The tip of the sheath has been reinforced with additional metal and there is rectangular loop on one side of the sheath.
Place purchased
Italy, Europe
Topic
African American
Military
World War II
See more items in
National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Classification
Weapons and Ammunition
Exhibition
Double Victory: The African American Military Experience
On View
NMAAHC (1400 Constitution Ave NW), National Mall Location, Community/Third Floor, 3 053
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Kay L. Nicolls
Data Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Object number
2014.142.5ab
Type
knives (cutting tools)
sheaths
Restrictions & Rights
No known copyright restrictions
Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
Medium
metal
Dimensions
H x W x D (2014.142.5a): 11 13/16 × 7/8 × 7/8 in. (30 × 2.2 × 2.2 cm)
H x W x D (2014.142.5b): 8 × 1 1/16 × 1/2 in. (20.3 × 2.7 × 1.2 cm)
Title
Object Name • Kard with sheath owned by Lt. Vernon O. Nicolls
Record ID
nmaahc_2014.142.5ab
Museum
NMAAHC
Title Sort
KARD WITH SHEATH OWNED BY LT. VERNON O. NICOLLS
Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Metadata Usage
CC0
Date
1800s • 1939-1945
Name
Nicolls, Vernon O.
Place
Europe • Italy
Topic
WW II • Military • World War, 1939-1945
Culture
African Americans
Exhibition
NMAAHC • Double Victory: The African American Military Experience
Geo Location
Country • Italy • Continent • Europe
Type
knives (cutting tools) • sheaths
On Physical Exhibit
Yes
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.

NMAAHC

Arm patch for the 758th Tank Battalion owned by Lt. Vernon O. Nicolls

Date: Date

Caption

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NMAAHC

Kard with sheath owned by Lt. Vernon O. Nicolls

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Caption

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No preview image
NMAAHC

Letter to Charles and Margaret Nicolls from Lt. Vernon O. Nicolls

Date: Date

Caption

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NMAAHC

Photograph of Lieutenant Vernon O. Nicolls and Edith Nicolls

Date: Date

Caption

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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

Which Supreme Court case ruled state-sponsored public-school segregation unconstitutional?

Brown v. Board of Education in 1954.