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THE JOURNEY THROUGH TIME

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Events

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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...

Shirley Chisholm — Unbought and Unbossed

In 1968 Shirley Chisholm became the first Black woman elected to the United States Congress. In 1972 she launched a campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination, breaking another political barrier.

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

Strapless cream net cocktail dress with gold accents

Date
1950s
Created by
Description
A strapless cream net cocktail dress with gold accents. The dress has a sweetheart neckline and is made of cream nylon tulle, the tulle is pleated horizontally along the top of the bust. Synthetic net with gold metallic supplementary wefts is sewn below the pleated nylon tulle which continues to the waistline. The top of the skirt features a panel of the same fabric that is narrower at the center front and wider at the sides. The same synthetic nylon net used at the top of the bust is sewn below the synthetic net on the skirt panel. Synthetic net with gold metallic supplementary wefts is sewn to the back of the dress and continues onto the skirt panel, ending fourteen inches above the hem at the center back. The net with gold threads is longest at the center back and is shorter at the sides. Cream nylon tulle is sewn below the synthetic net. A thirteen-and-a-half-inch metal zipper is sewn along the proper left side seam with two metal hooks on one side which align with two metal eyes. One hook and eye set are sewn at the top of the zipper, the other set is sewn at the waist seam. The dress is lined with cream synthetic faille. Four pieces of boning are sewn along the lining encased in the same fabric. The neckline is self-faced along the lining. A cream synthetic grosgrain ribbon is machine sewn along the waist seam at the interior. The hem of the net is left raw, the hem of the faille has a double fold hem.
See more items in
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
2007.3.913
Type
dresses
cocktail dresses
Restrictions & Rights
No known copyright restrictions
Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
Medium
nylon tulle, synthetic faille, metal, synthetic net with metallic supplementary wefts, grosgrain synthetic ribbon
Dimensions
Length (shoulder to hem): 41 in. (104.1 cm)
Width (shoulder to shoulder): 17 in. (43.2 cm)
Waist (flat): 13 1/2 in. (34.3 cm)
Title
Object Name • Strapless cream net cocktail dress with gold accents
Record ID
nmaahc_2007.3.913
Museum
NMAAHC
Title Sort
STRAPLESS CREAM NET COCKTAIL DRESS WITH GOLD ACCENTS
Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Metadata Usage
CC0
Date
1950s
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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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.