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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

Color block jacket, halter crop top, and pants by Stephen Burrows

Date
2003-2004
Description
Color blocked jacket (.1), halter crop top (.2), and pants (.3) by Stephen Burrows.
The jacket (.1) is made from knit wool fabric in black, red, purple, bright blue, and fuchsia. The color blocking on the front sides and back of the body are part of the knit design, they are not seamed. The seaming is done at the shoulders, body sides, sleeves, and collar. The color placement is done with red front yoke, fuchsia back yoke, black band below the bust line all around the body, black strips at front opening edges, black lapel and collar, bright blue bottom front and back, and dark purple sleeves. The jacket body is cut with a slight nip at the natural waist and flare below. It has an open front that does not close and is cut to fall below the hip with five-inch slits in the bottom sides of the body. It has full-length straight sleeves and a standard collar with shallow round lapels. Two (2) patch pockets are sewn one at each front side waist in the bright blue fabric on top of a bright blue color blocked section. The jacket is self-lined by the wool knit and there are no labels.
The halter crop top (.2) is made from knit wool and spandex material. The proper right half is blue and the proper left half is dark fuchsia. The front sides are cut to create a plunging V-neck at the front and a wide band across the back, with the blue section extending further across the back than the fuchsia. The pieces are seamed at the center back neck, which is a thin halter strap. A red tie extends from the front bottom of the fuchsia section and a dark purple tie extends from the front bottom of the blue section. The fronts are crossed with the ties wrapping around to the wearer's back and knotted. There are no labels.
The pants (.3) are made from dark purple and light blue double knit wool and spandex fabric. They are cut with ankle-length tapered legs and a high waist. The pants have an elastic waist band. They are self-lined with the interior as the light blue side of the double knit fabric. A cream fabric label with red embroidered text is sewn at the interior center back waist that reads "stephen burrows' world" with a size tag sewn to the bottom edge. An additional length of white ribbon with handwritten text in black ink, presumably added by Ebony Fashion Fair staff, is sewn behind the size tag that reads "SBC 213 [crossed through] 831K".
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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
2015.141.40.1-.3
Type
halters
jackets
trousers
Restrictions & Rights
No known copyright restrictions
Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
Medium
wool and spandex knit with elastic waistband
Dimensions
H x W (.1 flat): 34 × 17 1/2 in. (86.4 × 44.5 cm)
H x W (.2 flat): 18 1/4 × 15 in. (46.4 × 38.1 cm)
H x W (.2 with ties): 53 × 16 3/4 in. (134.6 × 42.5 cm)
H x W (.3 flat): 43 3/4 × 20 in. (111.1 × 50.8 cm)
Title
Object Name • Color block jacket, halter crop top, and pants by Stephen Burrows
Record ID
nmaahc_2015.141.40.1-.3
Museum
NMAAHC
Title Sort
COLOR BLOCK JACKET, HALTER CROP TOP, AND PANTS BY STEPHEN BURROWS
Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Metadata Usage
CC0
Date
2000s
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

Beaded jacket and black pants by Stephen Burrows

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

Pink cowl neck halter dress by Stephen Burrows

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

Color block jersey knit dress by Stephen Burrows

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

Color block jacket, halter crop top, and pants by Stephen Burrows

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.