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GREENWOOD / BLACK WALL STREET WILMINGTON 1898 LITTLE ROCK NINE TUSKEGEE STUDY ROSEWOOD 1923 THE TUSKEGEE AIRMEN SENECA VILLAGE BLACK TOWNS GREENWOOD / BLACK WALL STREET WILMINGTON 1898 LITTLE ROCK NINE TUSKEGEE STUDY ROSEWOOD 1923 THE TUSKEGEE AIRMEN SENECA VILLAGE BLACK TOWNS
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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...

Katherine Johnson — Mathematics to the Moon

Katherine Johnson’s mathematical calculations helped guide some of America’s most important early space missions while she confronted the racial and gender barriers faced by Black women in twentieth-century America.

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

Pink organza cocktail dress

Date
1950s
Designed by
Ysabel Matthews, American
Subject of
Black Fashion Museum, American, 1979 - 2007
Description
A pink silk organza cocktail dress with a wide neckline and painted cotton applique flowers. The bust is made from three panel pieces - one center piece, and a smaller panel for each side that are sewn together with a princess seam. The garment is sleeveless, and the bust panels create the two armholes. Decorative black cotton applique flowers are sewn to the bodice around the neckline and down the center front and sides of the bodice. The flowers are painted with gold, pink, purple, green, metallic gold, and white acrylic paint. A black velvet ribbon is wrapped around the waistline and ends at the center front of the dress in a bow. It is handstitched to the dress at two- to three-inch intervals. One panel of fabric creates the front of the skirt with two darts at the upper waistline, which mirrored the two darts at the bottom of the bust. Two black cotton applique leaves are stitched to the dress – one on each side of the waist. The skirt hem is upturned, and the skirt lining and the outer fabric are machine stitched together creating a blind hem.
The back of the dress features a scooped neckline. There are four back panels of pink silk organza fabric that are sewn together with a princess seam – two for the center back and two side panels that create the arm holes. A 14” metal Talon zipper with metal teeth is machine stitched to place between the two center back panels of the silk fabric. The back of the skirt is composed of two panels of fabric that are seamed together at the center back and contains four darts near the waistline – two on each side. The interior dress features a built-in bustier constructed from light pink polyester fabric. The bustier is made from 12 panels of fabric, machine stitched together. It has two hanging loops attached at the shoulders is tacked to the dress using hand stitches at the top, bottom, and the sides. A white fabric label sewn to the interior proper right side of the bust reads [YSABEL//NEW YORK//PHILADELPHIA] in grey letters. The interior skirt is lined with three panels of light pink polyester lining – two panels at the back and one in the front.
Cataloging Notes
This project received Federal support from the Smithsonian American Women’s History Initiative Pool, administered by the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum.
Topic
African American
Clothing and dress
Fashion
See more items in
National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Collection title
Black Fashion Museum Collection
Classification
Clothing - Fashion and Historical
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of the Black Fashion Museum founded by Lois K. Alexander-Lane
Data Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Object number
2007.3.203
Type
dresses
cocktail dresses
Restrictions & Rights
No Known Copyright Restrictions
Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
Medium
silk organza, cotton, polyester lining, buckram, velvet, acrylic paint, and metal
Dimensions
Length: (Shoulder to hem) 40 1/4 in. (102.2 cm)
Width: (Shoulder to Shoulder) 14 in. (35.6 cm)
Waist: 12 in. (30.5 cm)
Title
Object Name • Pink organza cocktail dress
Record ID
nmaahc_2007.3.203
Museum
NMAAHC
Title Sort
PINK ORGANZA COCKTAIL DRESS
Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Metadata Usage
CC0
Date
1950s
Name
Matthews, Ysabel • Black Fashion Museum
Topic
Clothing and dress • Fashion
Culture
African Americans
Type
Dresses (garments)
Online Media Type
Images
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

Strapless black lace dress with heavy gold embellishments designed by Peter Davy

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Description

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NMAAHC

Pink pleated bustier with ruffled hem

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Description

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Top worn by Janet Jackson in "Love Will Never Do (Without You)" music video

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No preview image
NMAAHC

Pink organza cocktail dress

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

Which heavyweight champion was known as the “Brown Bomber”?

Joe Louis.