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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

Six colors of thread from Mae's Millinery Shop

Date
1941-1994
Compiled by
Mae Reeves, American, 1912 - 2016
Owned by
Mae Reeves, American, 1912 - 2016
Subject of
Mae's Millinery Shop, American, 1941 - 1994
Description
Six different colors of thread in different fibers. A wooden spool with black cotton thread (.1) with blue and red stamped ink manufacturer's information that reads on one end, "THE GARDINER HALL JR. CO. / MANUFACTURERS / SIX CORD / WILLINGTON / CONN. U.S.A." and on the other end, "HALL'S BEST / SPOOL 50 COTTON / SIX CORD / 500 YARDS / TRADE MARK." A yellow plastic spool with bright blue mercerized cotton thread (.2) has no labels. A black plastic spool with bright green cotton thread (.3) has no labels, and a sewing needle is stuck through the spooled thread. A wooden spool with light teal mercerized cotton thread (.4) with green stamped ink manufacturer's information that reads on one end, "BELDING CORTICELLI RICHARDSON / MERCERIZED COTTON / SIZE A" and on the other end, "MERCERIZED COTTON / FAST TO BOILING / 70 YDS. / SHADE 1413." A skein of salmon pink mercerized cotton six-ply thread (.5) with two black paper bands, one at each end, with gold stamped text that reads on one band, "American Thread Co. / STAR SIX STRAND / EMBROIDERY COTTON / 8 YARDS," and on the other band, "PULL SKEIN / DO NOT REMOVE BANDS / PULL THE LOOSE END / 1025 5c / FAST COLOR WILL BOIL." A metal sewing machine bobbin with bright orange mercerized cotton thread (.6).
Place collected
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, North and Central America
Topic
African American
Black Enterprise
Business
Millinery
Women
See more items in
National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Collection title
Mae's Millinery Shop Collection
Classification
Tools and Equipment
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift from Mae Reeves and her children, Donna Limerick and William Mincey, Jr.
Data Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Object number
2010.6.68.1-.6
Type
spools
Restrictions & Rights
No Known Copyright Restrictions
Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
Medium
cotton thread, plastic, wood, and metal
Dimensions
H x W x D (2010.6.68.1): 1 7/8 x 1 5/16 x 1 5/16 in. (4.8 x 3.3 x 3.3 cm)
H x W x D (2010.6.68.2): 1 3/4 x 1 5/16 x 1 5/16 in. (4.4 x 3.3 x 3.3 cm)
H x W x D (2010.6.68.3): 1 3/4 x 1 11/16 x 1 5/8 in. (4.4 x 4.3 x 4.1 cm)
H x W x D (2010.6.68.4): 1 1/4 x 1 x 1 in. (3.2 x 2.5 x 2.5 cm)
H x W x D (2010.6.68.5): 1/4 x 5 3/4 x 1 3/8 in. (0.6 x 14.6 x 3.5 cm)
H x W x D (2010.6.68.6): 7/16 x 3/4 x 3/4 in. (1.1 x 1.9 x 1.9 cm)
Title
Object Name • Six colors of thread from Mae's Millinery Shop
Record ID
nmaahc_2010.6.68.1-.6
Museum
NMAAHC
Title Sort
SIX COLORS OF THREAD FROM MAE'S MILLINERY SHOP
Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Metadata Usage
CC0
Date
1940s • 1990s
Name
Mae's Millinery Shop • Reeves, Mae
Place
United States • North and Central America • Philadelphia • Pennsylvania
Topic
Women • Black Enterprise • Millinery • Business
Culture
African Americans
Geo Location
City • Philadelphia • State • Pennsylvania • Country • United States • Continent • North and Central America
Type
Spools
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

Liberation Will Come from a Black Thing

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

Broadside announcing the sale of enslaved persons in Mercer County, Kentucky

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

David Mercer Ackerman and Satoko Ito Ackerman Oral History Interview

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

Six colors of thread from Mae's Millinery Shop

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.