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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...

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

Soul Train trophy for Artist of the Decade - Female given to Whitney Houston

Date
2000
Issued by
Soul Train, American, 1971 - 2006
Owned by
Whitney Houston, American, 1963 - 2012
Description
A Soul Train trophy given to Whitney Houston in 2000, called the "Soul Train Music Special Artist of the Decade Award for Extraordinary Artistic Achievements-Female." The award is a gold metal statuette affixed to a cube-shaped green marble base. The gold metal statuette features stylized figures similar to an African ceremonial mask. The front depicts a geometric female torso without arms and a head without facial features, wearing a geometric style headdress. The back depicts a geometric male torso without arms, also with a head without facial features, wearing a geometric style headdress. Extending out of the top of the headdress are four (4) smaller heads of a similar style to the main figures. One (1) smaller head extends directly above the female head and one (1) smaller head extends directly above the male head, each with one face. Two (2) smaller heads extend up from the headdress in between the male and female sides of the statuette. These heads have two identical faces, one facing out and the other facing in. On the front of the base is a gold plaque with etched text [WHITNEY HOUSTON/THE ARTIST OF THE/DECADE AWARD/FEMALE/SOUL TRAIN/MUSIC AWARDS - 2000]. The statuette bends at a slight angle from the torso, towards the side of the cube with the gold plaque.
The statuette is bolted into the marble base with a bolt that can be seen at the bottom of the base. On the head of the bolt, the letters [AJ] can be seen.
Place used
Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, United States, North and Central America
Topic
African American
Actors
Popular music
Singers (Musicians)
Variety shows (Television)
Women
See more items in
National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Classification
Awards, Medals, and Insignia
Exhibition
Musical Crossroads
On View
NMAAHC (1400 Constitution Ave NW), National Mall Location, Culture/Fourth Floor, 4 053
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of the Estate of Whitney Houston
Data Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Object number
2014.161.5
Type
trophies (prizes)
Restrictions & Rights
Unknown - Restrictions Possible
Rights assessment and proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
Medium
metal and marble
Dimensions
H x W x D: 13 15/16 × 3 1/8 × 3 1/8 in. (35.4 × 7.9 × 7.9 cm)
Title
Object Name • Soul Train trophy for Artist of the Decade - Female given to Whitney Houston
Record ID
nmaahc_2014.161.5
Museum
NMAAHC
Title Sort
SOUL TRAIN TROPHY FOR ARTIST OF THE DECADE - FEMALE GIVEN TO WHITNEY HOUSTON
Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Metadata Usage
CC0
Date
2000s
Name
Houston, Whitney • Soul Train
Place
United States • North and Central America • Los Angeles • California • Shrine Auditorium
Topic
Women • Actors and actresses • Music • Singers (Musicians) • Variety shows (Television)
Culture
African Americans
Exhibition
NMAAHC • Musical Crossroads
Geo Location
Locale • Shrine Auditorium • City • Los Angeles • State • California • Country • United States • Continent • North and Central America
Type
Awards • Trophies (objects)
On Physical Exhibit
Yes
Online Media Type
Images
Online Media Rights
Unknown - Restrictions Possible

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

Flier for an African American Resource Machine benefit with Eldridge Cleaver

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

Theatre program for Black Holes

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

Black Journal: 26; Alice Coltrane

Date: Date

Caption

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NMAAHC

Soul Train trophy for Artist of the Decade - Female given to Whitney Houston

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

Which Black woman became the first elected to the United States Congress?

Shirley Chisholm, elected in 1968.