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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

Cream silk dress with metallic embroidery and front overskirt

Date
1980s
Description
A cream silk dress with bronze metallic embroidery and a front overskirt. The front bust is made from one panel of fabric and features a standing band collar. A pleated panel of fabric covers the bust; it starts in the proper left shoulder and is set into the proper right-side seam. There are two bust darts and two waist darts in the front of the dress. A second pleated side panel starts at the proper left underarm, goes to the proper right waist, and curves downward asymmetrically into a voluminous faux front skirt. The faux front skirt is one panel that is folded under and is gathered at the underside to a champagne-colored synthetic silk waistband. There is an A-line skirt under the faux skirt, which consists of three panels. The upper part of the A-line skirt is a part of the bodice. There are two bottom panels that are filled with densely packed paisley bronze metallic embroidery. They are machine stitched together at the center front. The dress features long sleeves, that are seamed at the inner arm. The sleeves have a gusset at the inner arm and each cuff contains a metal 3.5” zipper with metal teeth. The proper left sleeve has a continuous panel of metallic trim which runs across the proper left shoulder of the bodice and ends at the proper left wrist. All dress seams are machine stitched together.
The standing band collar closes in the center back with a metal hook and thread eye. The back of the dress features two panels that are bisected in the center back with a metal Talon zipper measuring 27.25". The zipper goes from the bottom of the band collar and ends below the back of the waist, in the skirt and is handstitched into place. There are two vertical darts in the waist that match the front construction of the bust. The embroidered panel with metallic thread at the bottom of the A-line skirt is not sewn on as a separate panel, rather it is one continuous part of the back panel of the dress. The interior of the dress is lined with champagne colored synthetic silk. The interior bust front is one panel with two vertical bust darts and two waist darts. The back interior bust lining is two panel pieces. A tan rayon Petersham ribbon lines the interior waist and has two metal hook and eye closures. The skirt lining is composed of three panels - one lining panel with the front and two panels for the back. There are two circular weights attached to a tan Petersham ribbon that hangs down vertically from the interior back zipper area. All the raw edges are finished with pinking and hand stitching.
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.
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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
2007.3.629
Type
dresses
Restrictions & Rights
No known copyright restrictions
Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
Medium
silk, synthetic lining, metallic thread, and metal
Dimensions
Length (Shoulder to hem): 40 1/4 (102.2)
Width (Shoulder to shoulder): 14 in (35.6 cm)
Waist: 12 in. (30.5 cm)
Title
Object Name • Cream silk dress with metallic embroidery and front overskirt
Record ID
nmaahc_2007.3.629
Museum
NMAAHC
Title Sort
CREAM SILK DRESS WITH METALLIC EMBROIDERY AND FRONT OVERSKIRT
Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Metadata Usage
CC0
Date
1980s
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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NMAAHC

Cream silk dress with metallic embroidery and front overskirt

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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.