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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

Badge for the 31st American Legion Annual National Convention

Date
1949
Manufactured by
Whitehead & Hoag Company, American, 1892 - 1965
Distributed by
American Legion, American, founded 1919
Owned by
John Roland Anderson, American, 1880 - 1962
Description
A badge for the 31st American Legion Annual National Convention owned by John Roland Anderson. The badge consists of a bronze tone name tag holding a short, silk ribbon that is attached to a light copper colored metal badge. The name tag is rectangular shaped with a pin and a C clasp closure on the back. The front of the name tag features a thin, decorative, bronze frame that holds a small piece of white paper with handwritten black ink text that reads [[Jo]hn R. Anderson]. The ribbon loops over a bar at the bottom back of the tag and is sewn in place. Below the pin is an olive green ribbon with a wide navy center stripe, bookended by two, thin, rainbow stripes. Gold text printed on the ribbon reads [DELEGATE / 31ST ANNUAL CONVENTION / JULY 1949] and [SEPT. 01 / DISTRICT / OF COLUMBIA] printed above and below the American Legion logo. The short ribbon threads through a bail at the top of the badge. The badge is shield shaped and is primarily light copper tone with blue enamel accents. The embossed obverse of the badge centrally features an image of a vertically oriented, sheathed, short sword framed on either side with laurel leaves. Over the bottom center of the sword is a small circular logo for the American Legion. The logo features a five pointed star with a circle at the center and embossed text inside that reads [U·S]. The star is framed inside a blue enameled, circular band with a light copper text that reads [AMERICAN] at the top and [LEGION] at the bottom. Embossed text along the left and right edges of the badge read [VICTORIOUS] and [WE SERVE IN PEACE]. On the reverse of the badge is embossed text forming a circle at the center that reads [THE [WHITE[?]]HEAD HOAG & CO. - NEWARK, N.J. -].
Place used
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, North and Central America
Place made
Newark, Essex County, New Jersey, United States, North and Central America
Topic
African American
Associations and institutions
Buffalo Soldiers
Military
See more items in
National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Classification
Memorabilia and Ephemera - Other
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of William and Gregory Gwaltney
Data Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Object number
2023.17.1.3
Type
pins (fasteners)
badges
Restrictions & Rights
Unknown – Restrictions Possible
Rights assessment and proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
Medium
silk (textile) with metal and copper alloy and ink on paper
Dimensions
H x W x D: 5 1/8 × 2 × 1/4 in. (13 × 5.1 × 0.6 cm)
Title
Object Name • Badge for the 31st American Legion Annual National Convention
Record ID
nmaahc_2023.17.1.3
Museum
NMAAHC
Title Sort
BADGE FOR THE 31ST AMERICAN LEGION ANNUAL NATIONAL CONVENTION
Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Metadata Usage
CC0
Date
1940s
Name
Whitehead & Hoag Company • American Legion • Anderson, John Roland
Place
United States • Essex County • North and Central America • Newark • Philadelphia • New Jersey • Pennsylvania
Topic
Buffalo Soldiers • Associations and institutions • Military
Culture
African Americans
Geo Location
City • Philadelphia • State • Pennsylvania • Country • United States • Continent • North and Central America • City • Newark • County • Essex County • State • New Jersey
Type
Pins (fasteners) • Badges
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

Badge for the 36th American Legion Annual Convention

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

Badge for the 31st American Legion Annual National Convention

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

Charleston slave badge from 1801 for Mechanic No. 108

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

Pinback button with a Mary McLeod Bethune stamp from Mae's Millinery Shop

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

Brown v. Board of Education in 1954.