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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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NMAAHC

Banjo created for Charles P. Stinson

Date
late19th century
Manufactured by
John H. Buckbee, American, 1832 - 1897
Subject of
Charles P. Stinson, American, 1854 - 1911
Caption
Charles P. Stinson’s minstrel credits include working with Callinder's Georgia Minstrels, the World's Minstrels, and Harvey and Frohman's Minstrel Companies as a banjo player, actor, and drum major. He made his name through banjo competitions though, notably in an 1888 competition in Kansas City when he beat eleven white competitors to become the first known African American to win such a competition in a southern state.
After touring through the 1880s, Stinson returned to Pittsburgh and set up a studio teaching amateur musicians. He taught parlor music to his middle-class students eager to join banjo, mandolin, and guitar orchestras playing arrangements of popular songs. Through his role as a teacher, Stinson also sold student-level banjos to his students. This banjo likely made by J.H. Buckbee in New York was the result of a collaboration between Stinson and Buckbee to create banjos for Stinson to assemble and distribute to his students; a common arrangement in the late nineteenth century as the instrument became popular.
Description
An open-back five-string banjo created for Charles P. Stinson. Four tuning pegs made from molded resin are attached to the peghead. The tuning pegs are decorated with seven curving lines carved on each side and a decorative ridge. Another tuning peg appears halfway up banjo's neck. The frets on the neck are inlaid with mother of pearl. Several of the frets are missing as well as the bridge of the banjo. Some of these pieces can be found in the banjo’s case (2018.83.2). The bottom of the neck near the head of the banjo on the scoop is a mother of pearl inlay in the shape of a star. The banjo’s head is held to the round frame using twenty-nine shoes and nuts. A single metal string is attached to the peghead and head. Handwritten on the back of the banjo’s head near the heel of the neck is “Sliver.” It has a metal tension hoop and a wooden dowel stick. Engraved on the dowel stick is “C. P. STINSON PGH. PA.”
Place made
New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America
Place used
Pittsburgh, Alleghany County, Pennsylvania, United States, North and Central America
Topic
African American
Education
Folk (Music)
Instrumentalists (Musicians)
Minstrel (Music)
Popular music
Theatre
Vaudeville
See more items in
National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Classification
Musical Instruments
Exhibition
Musical Crossroads
On View
NMAAHC (1400 Constitution Ave NW), National Mall Location, Culture/Fourth Floor, 4 053
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of the Clark and Sarah Case Family
Data Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Object number
2018.83.1
Type
banjos
Restrictions & Rights
No Known Copyright Restrictions
Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
Medium
wood, metal, calfskin, resin, mother of pearl
Dimensions
H x W x D: 35 1/16 × 12 × 2 3/4 in. (89 × 30.5 × 7 cm)
Title
Object Name • Banjo created for Charles P. Stinson
Record ID
nmaahc_2018.83.1
Museum
NMAAHC
Title Sort
BANJO CREATED FOR CHARLES P. STINSON
Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Metadata Usage
CC0
Date
1890s • 1860s
Name
Buckbee, John H. • Stinson, Charles P.
Place
New York City • Alleghany County • United States • North and Central America • Pittsburgh • Pennsylvania
Topic
Minstrel (Music) • Education • Music • Theatre • Folk (Music) • Instrumentalists (Musicians) • Vaudeville
Culture
African Americans
Exhibition
NMAAHC • Musical Crossroads
Geo Location
City • New York City • State • New York • Country • United States • Continent • North and Central America • City • Pittsburgh • County • Alleghany County • State • Pennsylvania
Type
banjos
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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Cabinet card of John H. Scott

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John Coltrane

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NMAAHC

Banjo created for Charles P. Stinson

Date: Date

Caption

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NMAAHC

Banjo case for Charles P. Stinson banjo

Date: Date

Caption

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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.