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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...

Wilmington 1898 — An American Coup

Wilmington, North Carolina once had a thriving Black middle class and an elected interracial government. In 1898 white supremacists used violence to overthrow that government, kill Black residents and drive many others from the city.

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

Teal and black lace cocktail dress by Bruce Oldfield

Date
1990s
Designed by
Bruce Oldfield, British, born 1950
Used by
Ebony Fashion Fair, American, 1958 - 2009
Subject of
Johnson Publishing Company, American, 1942 - 2019
Description
Teal and black lace cocktail dress by Bruce Oldfield. The dress as a plunging V-neck in the front with a high back neck, full-length straight sleeves, and a knee-length skirt. It is made from a teal satin acetate fabric with black lace and embellishments. The bodice is cinched at the waist with ruching on either side of a center front panel made from black floral lace. This lace piece continues onto the skirt with no seam, with the pencil skirt made from the teal acetate overlaid in the black floral lace. The flowers on the lace are outlined in black chenille. A wide border of flowers made from black chenille and black beads is sewn around the neck and at each sleeve cuff. The dress closes at the center back with a zipper and three (3) hook-and-eyes. A self-fabric button fastens with a loop cord at the center back waist above ruching at the back. On the proper right side of this ruched section the rest of the square piece of the teal satin is left to hang down. Snaps are sewn at two (2) corners of this fabric that correspond to snaps sewn at each side waist of the dress. There are two small cord loops sewn at the third corner of the fabric. It can be styled several ways including being left open as a train, snapped at each side as an open front overskirt, or wrapped across the front and snapped shut as an overskirt that obscures the black lace pencil skirt of the dress. The longest corner with the loops can also be fastened over the button at the center back waist.
The dress is lined in blue acetate fabric. A white fabric label with black embroidered text reading "BRUCE OLDFIELD" is sewn at the interior proper left back neck. Two labels are sewn to its bottom edge that contain size, care, and fiber content information.
Topic
African American
Clothing and dress
Design
Fashion
Fashion design
See more items in
National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Collection title
Ebony Fashion Fair Collection
Classification
Clothing - Fashion and Historical
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
2015.141.9
Type
cocktail dresses
Restrictions & Rights
No known copyright restrictions
Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
Medium
satin acetate, acetate, lace, chenille, beads, metal fasteners
Dimensions
H x W (flat): 60 3/4 × 18 in. (154.3 × 45.7 cm)
Title
Object Name • Teal and black lace cocktail dress by Bruce Oldfield
Record ID
nmaahc_2015.141.9
Museum
NMAAHC
Title Sort
TEAL AND BLACK LACE COCKTAIL DRESS BY BRUCE OLDFIELD
Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Metadata Usage
CC0
Date
1990s
Name
Johnson Publishing Company • Ebony Fashion Fair • Oldfield, Bruce
Topic
Design • Clothing and dress • Fashion
Culture
African Americans
Type
Dresses (garments)
Online Media Rights
No Known Copyright Restrictions

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

Teal and black lace cocktail dress by Bruce Oldfield

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

Red halter jumpsuit and shawl by Bruce Oldfield

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

Gold and fuchsia cocktail dress and jacket by Bruce Oldfield

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

Walter Bruce Oral History Interview

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

What prosperous Tulsa district became widely known as “Black Wall Street”?

The Greenwood District.