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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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THE JOURNEY THROUGH TIME
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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...

Ruler of the Mali Empire in the 14th century

Mansa Musa was the ruler of the Mali Empire in West Africa. Details recorded here should be sourced; unknown information is left blank.

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

Slow Fade to Black: Dorothy Jean Dandridge

Date
2009-2010
Photograph by
Carrie Mae Weems, American, born 1953
Subject of
Dorothy Dandridge, American, 1922 - 1965
Description
Color inkjet print (a) of Dorothy Jean Dandridge in a green frame (b).
The photograph (a) is intentionally out of focus. The figure of Dorothy Jean Dandridge is dressed in costume for the 1951 film "Tarzan's Peril." Dandrige is seated on a log in front of a forest background. Dandridge has both hands on her left hip. She is facing the camera with her head tilted to the side. Dandridge is wearing a red head piece with large jewelry. She has a light blue one-shoulder top and a red skirt. In the original image, Dandridge's layered necklaces and bracelet are visible. She is smiling and looking off camera to the left. Dandrige's blue top has a sash over one shoulder held in place with a red clasp. The red skirt has detailed stripes that match her headband.
The photograph is inset in the frame (b). The back borders of the frame are raised and have paper tape around the edges. At the top is a sticker with the TransArt International shipping label. The center portion of the frame has two white adhesive labels, one with information about the artist, Carrie Mae Weems. The other has exhibit details and the address for the Jack Shainman Gallery. Below this tag is information about the frame with cleaning instructions highlighted in red marker. There is a corded metal wire screwed into the frame to hang the photograph.
Topic
African American
Actors
Art
Dance
Entertainers
Film
Hollywood (Film)
Mass media
Photography
Singers (Musicians)
Women
See more items in
National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Portfolio/Series
Slow Fade to Black
Classification
Visual Arts
Photographs and Still Images
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Jo Carole and Ronald S. Lauder in honor of Richard and Laura Parsons, Colin and Alma Powell, and Darren Walker
Data Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Object number
2017.20.10ab
Type
portraits
inkjet prints
Restrictions & Rights
© Carrie Mae Weems
Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
Medium
inkjet print (a): ink on photographic paper;
frame (b): acrylic, wood, wire and metal
Dimensions
H x W (Image): 11 3/4 × 8 3/4 in. (29.8 × 22.2 cm)
H x W x D (Frame): 12 7/8 × 9 7/8 × 1 1/2 in. (32.7 × 25.1 × 3.8 cm)
Title
Title • Slow Fade to Black: Dorothy Jean Dandridge
Record ID
nmaahc_2017.20.10ab
Museum
NMAAHC
Title Sort
SLOW FADE TO BLACK: DOROTHY JEAN DANDRIDGE
Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Metadata Usage
CC0
Date
2010s • 2000s
Name
Dandridge, Dorothy • Weems, Carrie Mae
Topic
Photography • Women • Art • Actors and actresses • Dance • Hollywood (Film) • Motion pictures • Entertainers • Mass media • Singers (Musicians)
Culture
African Americans
Type
Portraits • Photographs
Online Media Type
Images
Online Media Rights
Limited Use

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

Photograph of sisters, Dorothy and Vivian Dandridge

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

Slow Fade to Black: Dorothy Jean Dandridge

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

Slow Fade to Black: Dorothy Jean Dandridge

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NMAAHC

Slow Fade to Black: Dorothy Jean Dandridge

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 Black woman became the first elected to the United States Congress?

Shirley Chisholm, elected in 1968.