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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

Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea

Date
1931
Written by
Ted L. Koehler, American, 1894 - 1973
Harold Arlen, American, 1905 - 1986
Illustrated by
Sydney Lefkowitz, American
Published by
Mills Music Incorporated, 1919 - 1965
Subject of
Dan Healy, American, 1888 - 1969
Clarence Robinson
Cotton Club, American, 1923 - 1940
Description
Sheet music for the song "Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea" from the production of "Rhythm-mania" from The Cotton Club. The cover is a red palate with brown. Along the top in a red band is the song title "BETWEEN THE DEVIL AND THE DEEP BLUE SEA." In the upper third, below the song title is the production title, in large brown letters. The title curves in a shallow, diagonal "s" pattern with the club listed above in red "The COTTON CLUB/ presents/ RHYTH-MANIA." Below the production title are two columns, one on the left edge of the cover, and one on the right. The left column "STAGED BY DAN HEALY/ DANCES BY/ CLARENCE ROBINSON." The right column "LYRICS BY/ TED KOEHLER/ MUSIC BY/ HAROLD ARLE." In the lower half of the cover is an illustration of a dancing line of people. Alternating between male and female, the dancers' PR side faces the viewer. There are two men and two women. The men wear dark jackets and pants with red and white striped shirts. They also have bowler hats and hold canes in their PR hands, with their PR arms bent behind their backs. Their PR legs are bent upward with their PL arm bent upward. The women wear sleeveless red dresses that are low cut and revealing. On their wrists are red bangles and their high heels feature bows tied at the ankle. The women have hoop earrings in their PR ears. Their legs are bent walking forward, while their torsos lean back. Their PR arms are bent behind them with their PL arms bent with their PL hands in front of them. At the bottom right corner is the illustrator's signature "Leff." Along the bottom edge is a band of red. In the lower left corner in a white rectangle is a song list "GET UP, GET OUT, GET UNDER THE SUN/ BREAKFAST DANCE/ NEATH THE PALE CUBAN MOON/ WITHOUT RHYTHM/ BETWEEN THE DEVIL/ AND THE DEP BLUE SEA/ KICKIN' THE GONG AROUND." In the lower right corner in a small rectangle is the music publisher with an illustration of a windmill with the words "MILLS MUSIC/ INC/ Music Publishers/ Mills Building/148-150 West 46th St. New York."
Place used
New York City, New York County, New York, United States, North and Central America
Title
Sheet music from Rhythm-Mania
Topic
African American
Dance
Entertainers
Musical Theatre
Nightlife
Popular music
Segregation
Stereotypes
See more items in
National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Classification
Written Music
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Vicki Gold Levi
Data Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Object number
2013.223.17
Type
sheet music
Restrictions & Rights
Unknown - Restrictions Possible
Rights assessment and proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
Medium
ink on paper
Dimensions
H x W: 12 1/16 × 9 3/16 in. (30.6 × 23.3 cm)
Title
Title • Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea
Record ID
nmaahc_2013.223.17
Museum
NMAAHC
Title Sort
BETWEEN THE DEVIL AND THE DEEP BLUE SEA
Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Metadata Usage
CC0
Date
1930s
Name
Cotton Club • Lefkowitz, Sydney • Robinson, Clarence • Mills Music Incorporated • Arlen, Harold • Koehler, Ted L. • Healy, Dan
Place
New York City • New York County • United States • North and Central America
Topic
Nightlife • Segregation • Music • Dance • Musical Theatre • Entertainers • Stereotypes
Culture
African Americans
Geo Location
City • New York City • County • New York County • State • New York • Country • United States • Continent • North and Central America
Type
Sheet music
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

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NMAAHC

Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea

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Ship in a Storm

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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

Who became the first Black woman to travel into space?

Mae Jemison, aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour in 1992.