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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...

The Violence That Helped Spark the NAACP

In August 1908, a white mob attacked Springfield, Illinois’s Black community, destroying homes and businesses and lynching two Black men. National outrage over the violence helped spur the movement that created the NAACP the following year.

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

Reel-to-reel tape recorder and reels used by sound engineer Russell Williams II

Date
ca. 1972 (manufactured)
Manufactured by
Kudelski Group, Swiss, founded 1951
Used by
Russell Williams II, American, born 1952
Description
2015.29.20a: Nagra 4.2 recorder
2015.29.20b: 5 inch plastic reel
2015.29.20c: 7 inich plastic reel
A metal NAGRA® 4.2 reel-to-reel audio recorder used by Russell Williams II as a sound engineer on film sets. The machine is silver in color. The front side of the machine has dials, a meter, a headphone jack, and switches. Each part is designated by black type and numbers. Black type at the top, center of the front side reads: [NAGRA® 4.2]. A number is engraved to the right of the machine name and reads: [84543]. There is a silver handle partially covered with black leather (worn), attached to the proper left and proper right sides. The handle can be moved from laying against the top to laying against the bottom (almost 180 degrees). The proper left side of the machine has a speaker, two plugs and four jacks. Each part is identified by black type. The proper right side of the machine has four plugs, two jacks, and a dial. Each part is identified by black type. There is a clear, plastic lid that is hinged in the back and flips open, matching in shape to the top of the recorder (two circles that line up with where the reels would sit), with rounded edges. A piece of Velcro is attached on the underside of the lid. The top has two spindles, one for the supply reel and another for the takeup reel. The spindle on the proper right has a 5 inch reel acting as the supply reel with the majority of the tape on it (2015.29.20b). The spindle on the proper left is a 7 inch reel acting as the takeup reel (2015.29.20c) with only a small amount of the tape on it. The reels can be removed. Along the bottom of the top there are the idle roller, the heads, the lifters, and the pinch roller that help guide the reel through. There is also a lever that can be pushed to the left or the right, to move the tape, in the bottom left corner. A metal plate is at the center of the top of the machine identifies the maker in black type that reads: [KUDELSKI SA / 1033 CHESEAUX / SWITZERLAND]. At the center of the plate there is a dial that controls speed & equalization. The bottom of the machine has a section that could be opened if unscrewed and a black sticker of the letter: [D].
Place made
Cheseaux-sur-Lausanne, Lausanne, Vaud, Switzerland, Europe
Topic
African American
Film
Technology
See more items in
National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Classification
Tools and Equipment
Exhibition
Taking the Stage
On View
NMAAHC (1400 Constitution Ave NW), National Mall Location, Culture/Fourth Floor, 4 054
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Russell Williams II
Data Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Object number
2015.29.20abc
Type
audio equipment
Restrictions & Rights
No Known Copyright Restrictions
Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
Medium
metal and plastic with adhesive , leather and 1/4 inch tape
Dimensions
H x W x D (2015.29.20a): 4 1/2 × 14 3/4 × 12 1/2 in. (11.4 × 37.5 × 31.8 cm)
Diameter (2015.29.20b): 5 in. (12.7 cm)
Diameter (2015.29.20c): 7 in. (17.8 cm)
Title
Object Name • Reel-to-reel tape recorder and reels used by sound engineer Russell Williams II
Record ID
nmaahc_2015.29.20abc
Museum
NMAAHC
Title Sort
REEL-TO-REEL TAPE RECORDER AND REELS USED BY SOUND ENGINEER RUSSELL WILLIAMS II
Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Metadata Usage
CC0
Date
1980s • 1970s
Name
Kudelski Group • Williams, Russell
Place
Vaud • Europe • Cheseaux-sur-Lausanne • Switzerland
Topic
Technology • Motion pictures
Culture
African Americans
Exhibition
NMAAHC • Taking the Stage
Geo Location
City • Cheseaux-sur-Lausanne • County • Lausanne • State • Vaud • Country • Switzerland • Continent • Europe
Type
Audio equipment
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.

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Reel-to-reel tape recorder and reels used by sound engineer Russell Williams II

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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.