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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

Lobby card for The Bronze Venus

Date
1943
Distributed by
Toddy Pictures Company, American, 1941 - 1970s
Subject of
Lena Horne, American, 1917 - 2010
Ralph Cooper, American, 1908 - 1992
John L. Criner, American, 1898 - 1965
Basin Street Boys, American, founded 1935
The Cats and the Fiddle, American, 1937 - 1951
Harry M. Popkin, American, 1906 - 1991
Leo C. Popkin, Canadian, 1914 - 2011
Million Dollar Productions, American, 1937 - 1940
Description
Lobby card for The Bronze Venus.
The lobby card features a large yellow banner across the top reading [LENA HORNE] in red and [STAR SENSATION OF "CABIN IN THE SKY" and "STORMY WEATHER"] in blue. There is a red star on either side of “LENA HORNE”. Underneath the banner there is a black and white tinted image of of a band leader directing an orchestra against a blue background decorated with stars. There is green on either side of the image. The yellow banner continues below the image and reads [THE BRONZE VENUS] in blue. There is an image of Lena Horne standing and wearing a pink gown on the proper right side of the banner. There is an image of a quartet (The Basin Street Boys) under the yellow banner. The second man from the proper right side is holding a guitar. Each man is wearing a matching tuxedo with a tinted pink shirt and bowtie. There are blue stars, music notes, and music graphs in several areas on the background of the lobby card and on the yellow banners. There is blue text in the top proper right corner which reads [TODDY PICTURES CO. / Presents] There is an orange banner in the bottom proper left corner with blue text that reads [WITH / RALPH COOPER / LAWRENCE CRINER / BASIN STREET BOYS / The CATS and the FIDDLE / Produced by HARRY M. POPKIN / Directed by LEO POPKIN]. There is a thin blue border around the lobby card. There is blue text in the bottom proper left corner under the border. The text reads “COUNTRY OF ORIGIN U.S.A.”].
The back of the lobby card is blank, with some small areas of discoloration.
Transcription Center Status
Transcribed by digital volunteers
Place used
United States, North and Central America
Topic
African American
Actors
Dance
Film
Jazz (Music)
Musical films
Musicians
Rhythm and blues (Music)
Singers (Musicians)
See more items in
National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Collection title
A Cinema Apart: The Larry Richards Collection of Early Black Film
Classification
Memorabilia and Ephemera - Advertisements
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
Data Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Object number
2013.118.96.1
Type
lobby cards
Restrictions & Rights
Public domain
Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
Medium
ink on paper
Dimensions
H x W: 11 × 14 in. (27.9 × 35.6 cm)
Title
Object Name • Lobby card for The Bronze Venus
Record ID
nmaahc_2013.118.96.1
Museum
NMAAHC
Title Sort
LOBBY CARD FOR THE BRONZE VENUS
Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Metadata Usage
CC0
Date
1940s
Name
Toddy Pictures Company • Million Dollar Productions • Horne, Lena • Cooper, Ralph • Popkin, Leo C. • Criner, John L. • Basin Street Boys • The Cats and the Fiddle • Popkin, Harry M.
Place
United States • North and Central America
Topic
Actors and actresses • Musical films • Dance • Motion pictures • Jazz (Music) • Singers (Musicians) • Rhythm and blues (Music)
Culture
African Americans
Geo Location
Country • United States • Continent • North and Central America
Type
Lobby cards
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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NMAAHC

Untitled (boys playing in the street)

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

Boys Selling Bags

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

A Boy in Front of the Loews 125th Street Movie Theater

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

Lobby card for The Bronze Venus

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.