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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...

Shirley Chisholm — Unbought and Unbossed

In 1968 Shirley Chisholm became the first Black woman elected to the United States Congress. In 1972 she launched a campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination, breaking another political barrier.

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

Flier issued to discredit Daisy Bates

Date
ca. 1957
Distributed by
Julian Miller
Subject of
Daisy Bates, American, 1914 - 1999
Description
A white paper flier produced by a segregationist group discrediting civil rights activist Daisy Bates.
The flyer is designed with centered black print, Bates’s arrest mugshots and police record at an attempt to frame her civil rights activism as criminal, demean her by gender and by ethnicity.
From top to bottom the flyer reads: [“MRS” DAISY BATES / Little Rock’s “Lady” of The Year / (SEE POLICE RECORD BELOW) / CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL’S MOST PROMINENT P.T.A. MEMBER, SELF-APPOINTED PROTCTOR OF NINE NEGRO / CHILDREN, HAVING RECEIVED “SUPOENA” POWERS FROM JESS MATTHEWS, CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL PRIN- / CIPAL, AND ALSO AUTHORITY TO CROSS EXAMINE WHITE STUDENTS, UNOFFICIAL “PRINCIPAL” IN CHARGE / OF LECTURING WHITE STUDENTS AT CENTRAL HIGH WHO “CROSS” ANY OF HER “BRAVE” NINE NEGRO STU- / DENTS.].
Below Bates’s mugshots, the racist commentary continues with her police record and an appeal to parents:
[PARENTS: DO YOU KNOW - - - - / 1. THERE IS A VICIOUS FEAR CAMPAIGN AT CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL. WHEREBY THE WHITE CHILDREN ARE / BEING TOLD THAT AT ANYTIME A WHITE CHILD HAS TROUBLE WITH A NEGRO STUDENTS THAT THE WHITE STUDENTS / MUST FACE DAISY BATES AND BE CROSS-EXAMINED BY HER. / 2. THAT AN IRON-CLAD CENSORSHIP HAS BEEN CLAMPED ON CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL. / 3. JESS MATTHEWS, PRINCIPAL, HAS IMPOSED AN ALMOST PRISON-LIKE FEAR UPON THE WHITE STUDENTS AGAINST TALK- / ING EVEN TO THEIR PARENTS ABOUT WHAT IS GOING ON IN CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL. / 4. THAT DAISY BATES HAS FREE ACCESS TO THE SCHOOL AND JESS MATTHEWS’ OFFICE, AND IS SEEN FREQUENTLY IN MATTHEWS’ OFFICE / 5. THAT DAISY BATES WAS ALLOWED TO CROSS-EXAMINE A NUMBER OF WHITE STUDENTS RECENTLY FOLLOWING A KICK-FIGHT / BETWEEN A WHITE GIRL AND A NEGRO GIRL. BECAUSE THE WHITE GIRL WOULD NOT ANSWER DAISY BATES’ QUESTIONS. / MR. MATTHEWS GAVE THE WHITE GIRL TWO WEEKS IN THE DETENTION HALL. / WHO IS RUNNING CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL? / BLOSSOM OR BATES? – OR BOTH! / Paid for and distributed by Capital Citizens Council Julian Miller, Director]. There are no markings on the reverse of the flyer.
Place depicted
Little Rock, Arkansas, United States, North and Central America
Topic
African American
Education
Justice
Politics
Race discrimination
Segregation
Women
See more items in
National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Classification
Racist and Stereotypical Objects
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
2020.26.20
Type
documents
fliers (printed matter)
Restrictions & Rights
Unknown – Restrictions Possible
Rights assessment and proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
Medium
ink on paper (fiber product)
Dimensions
H x W: 14 × 8 9/16 in. (35.6 × 21.7 cm)
Title
Object Name • Flier issued to discredit Daisy Bates
Record ID
nmaahc_2020.26.20
Museum
NMAAHC
Title Sort
FLIER ISSUED TO DISCREDIT DAISY BATES
Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Metadata Usage
CC0
Date
1960s • 1950s
Name
Bates, Daisy • Miller, Julian
Place
United States • North and Central America • Little Rock • Arkansas
Topic
Justice • Women • Discrimination • Education • Segregation • Race • Politics
Culture
African Americans
Geo Location
City • Little Rock • State • Arkansas • Country • United States • Continent • North and Central America
Type
Documents • Fliers (printed matter)
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.

NMAAHC

Envelope for letter from H.W. Sewing for Daisy Bates Trust Fund

Date: Date

Caption

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NMAAHC

Straw hat with fabric daisy

Date: Date

Description

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No preview image
NMAAHC

Flier issued to discredit Daisy Bates

Date: Date

Description

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No preview image
NMAAHC

Letter from H.W. Sewing for Daisy Bates Trust Fund

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

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

The Greenwood District.