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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

Watercolor costume sketch by Lemuel Ayers for the musical, St. Louis Woman

Date
1945
Created by
Lemuel Ayers, American, 1915 - 1955
Subject of
Gwendolyn Hale
Description
A watercolor sketch by Lemuel Ayers of a costume for the musical "St. Louis Woman", as performed in 1946. This costume is for the character "Girl #4" performed by Gwendolyn Hale. At the center of the sheet of paper is a light sketch in pencil painted over in watercolor of a woman wearing a pink dress with a patterned full length skirt, a white patterned bodice with a high collar and bow at the waist, pink sleeves in a leg of mutton style (very full at the shoulder and narrow from elbow to wrist), with a pink hat with yellow brim decorated with flowers and a bow. The woman is wearing black shoes and is holding a black parasol in her left hand. Behind the figure of the woman are some lightly painted lines indicating a fence and boardwalk. At the upper left hand corner, in ink, is handwritten [Sk. #92]. Stapled to the upper right corner is an index card with handwriting at the top, in ink: [Sk 92/ Girl #4]. Below the writing, one (1) swatch of pink fabric is stapled and glued. Other swatches of fabric are missing. Next to the swatch and the spaces where the missing swatches previously were attached are notes, handwritten in ink, indicating where in the costume each fabric is used. At the bottom of this piece of paper is handwritten in graphite: [M? 3-3827]. On the verso of the index card are written additional details about fabrics and costume specifications. At the bottom left corner, handwritten in graphite, is: [Hale]. At the bottom right corner is the text handwritten in black ink: [GIRL #4] and below that written in brown ink: [Butterfly [struck through] / Race Scene]. On the verso is another piece of paper that has been both stapled to the main sketch and taped with adhesive tape, with text providing instructions as to how many yards are needed of each type of fabric. The sketch is stamped with a United Scenic Artists stamp and signed on verso, lower right corner, in graphite: [L. Ayers].
Topic
African American
Art
Costume design
Design
Musical Theatre
See more items in
National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Classification
Decorative Arts, Craft, and Design
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
2011.57.45.3
Type
design drawings
Restrictions & Rights
Unknown - Restrictions Possible
Rights assessment and proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
Medium
watercolor, graphite and ink on paper with cloth, adhesive tape and metal staples
Dimensions
H x W: 12 x 9 5/8 in. (30.5 x 24.4 cm)
Title
Object Name • Watercolor costume sketch by Lemuel Ayers for the musical, St. Louis Woman
Record ID
nmaahc_2011.57.45.3
Museum
NMAAHC
Title Sort
WATERCOLOR COSTUME SKETCH BY LEMUEL AYERS FOR THE MUSICAL, ST. LOUIS WOMAN
Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Metadata Usage
CC0
Date
1940s
Name
Hale, Gwendolyn • Ayers, Lemuel
Topic
Design • Art • Costume • Musical Theatre
Culture
African Americans
Type
Design drawings
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

Watercolor costume sketch by Lemuel Ayers for the musical, St. Louis Woman

Date: Date

Description

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No preview image
NMAAHC

Watercolor costume sketch by Lemuel Ayers for the musical, St. Louis Woman

Date: Date

Description

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No preview image
NMAAHC

Watercolor costume sketch by Lemuel Ayers for the musical, St. Louis Woman

Date: Date

Description

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No preview image
NMAAHC

Watercolor costume sketch by Lemuel Ayers for the musical, St. Louis Woman

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

Who was the first African-American woman millionaire in the United States?

Madam C.J. Walker