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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

Newspaper clipping of the Club Ebony Gals

Date
1947-1948
Written by
Unidentified
Printed by
Unidentified
Subject of
Laura Cathrell, 1914 - 1999
Thomas Watkins, American, born 1927
Unidentified Woman or Women
Club Ebony, American, 1947 - 1948
Brooklyn Academy of Music, American, founded 1861
New York Amsterdam News, American, founded 1909
Citizens' Committee of Brooklyn, American
Description
A newspaper clipping depicting a black-and-white image of five (5) female performers in matching costumes. The women are depicted in two (2) rows. There are two (2) women in the top row are standing and three (3) in the bottom row are sitting. Laura Cathrell is depicted seated on the far left in the bottom row. They are all wearing black bodysuits with straps embellished with light toned feathers, white elbow-length gloves, black-and-white chokers, and large light toned feathers in their hair. Behind the woman is a curtain. Below the image is a caption printed in black ink that reads, [CLUB EBONY GALS-When you’ve got girls like these around there’s bound to be “a hot time in the old / town tonight.” And that’s exactly what happened last Friday night when these show stoppers from the / Club Ebony, latest nightclub to open on Broadway, danced out on the stage of the Brooklyn Academy of / Music. And beauty is as beauty does the lassies proved too by revealing that they could dance as well as / they look. Such whistling and wolf calls you’ve never heard. Show, sponsored by the Amsterdam News was / directed by Tommy Watkins, Brooklyn Editor, with the whole Brooklyn staff assisting him. Citizen’s[sic] Com- / mittee of Brooklyn cooperated with the show.]. On the back is a partially cut off article titled, [Stars Galore Highlighted Benefit!!!] and describes the ninth Annual Brooklyn benefit show sponsored by the Amsterdam News at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. The article makes reference to a number of famous celebrities that performed at the show.
Place depicted
New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America
Topic
African American
Amusements
Black Press
Dance
Mass media
Nightlife
Theatre
See more items in
National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Collection title
The Laura Cathrell Show-Down Magazine Collection
Classification
Books and Published Materials
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
2013.46.25.274.2
Type
newspaper columns
Restrictions & Rights
Unknown - Restrictions Possible
Rights assessment and proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
Medium
ink on newsprint
Dimensions
H x W: 8 1/4 × 7 1/16 in. (21 × 18 cm)
Title
Object Name • Newspaper clipping of the Club Ebony Gals
Record ID
nmaahc_2013.46.25.274.2
Museum
NMAAHC
Title Sort
NEWSPAPER CLIPPING OF THE CLUB EBONY GALS
Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Metadata Usage
CC0
Date
1940s
Name
Brooklyn Academy of Music • Watkins, Thomas • Club Ebony • Citizens' Committee of Brooklyn • New York Amsterdam News • Cathrell, Laura
Place
New York City • United States • North and Central America
Topic
Nightlife • Amusements • Black Press • Theatre • Dance • Mass media
Culture
African Americans
Geo Location
City • New York City • State • New York • Country • United States • Continent • North and Central America
Type
newspaper columns
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

Program for Club Ebony

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

Program for Club Ebony

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Description

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NMAAHC

Newspaper clipping of the Club Ebony Gals

Date: Date

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NMAAHC

Ebony, Vol. 2, No. 2

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.