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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

Photograph of Disc Jockey Bill “Hawk” Hawkins and Earl Bostic

Date
ca. 1952
Photograph by
James A. Joyce, American
Subject of
Bill Hawkins, American, 1909 - 1975
Earl Bostic, American, 1913 - 1965
Bill Hawkins’ Record Studio, American
Description
A black-and-white photograph of Disc Jockey Bill “Hawk” Hawkins with Earl Bostic inside the DJ booth in Bill Hawkins’ Record Studio. Bostic is depicted on the left and Hawkins on the right. The two men are standing behind the DJ console. Bostic is wearing a button-down shirt with a pineapple pattern, medium-toned trousers, suspenders, and dark “browline” style glasses. He is smiling and looking towards in the distance towards the left edge of the photograph. Hawkins is depicted in profile, facing the left edge of the photograph. He is looking slightly downwards, with his proper left hand lightly holding his shirt collar and his proper right hand resting on the console’s turntable. He is speaking into a silver tone microphone directly in front of him. He is wearing a white collared shirt, a polka dot tie, medium-toned trousers, and has a pair of headphones over his ears with the wires dangling down the front of his shirt. Next to the microphone is a pen and piece of paper sitting on the console surface. Behind Hawkins and Bostic is a draped interior window, framed in wood paneling. The photograph has a white border and a portrait orientation. The back of the photograph is white and plain. A black ink photographer’s stamp in a vertical orientation at the center reads [JAMES A. JOYCE / PHOTOGRAPHER / TY 1-0748 CLEVELAND, OHIO]. A small, red ink [+] has been handwritten in the bottom left corner.
Place captured
Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States, North and Central America
Place printed
Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States, North and Central America
Topic
African American
Instrumentalists (Musicians)
Jazz (Music)
Photography
Radio
Rhythm and blues (Music)
See more items in
National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Classification
Photographs and Still Images
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of W. Allen Taylor, son of "Walkin' Talkin' Bill Hawkins," The First Black Disc Jockey of Cleveland, Ohio
Data Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Object number
2018.91.2.36
Type
gelatin silver prints
portraits
Restrictions & Rights
Unknown – Restrictions Possible
Rights assessment and proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
Medium
silver and photographic gelatin on photographic paper
Dimensions
H x W (Sheet): 7 × 5 1/16 in. (17.8 × 12.9 cm)
Title
Object Name • Photograph of Disc Jockey Bill “Hawk” Hawkins and Earl Bostic
Record ID
nmaahc_2018.91.2.36
Museum
NMAAHC
Title Sort
PHOTOGRAPH OF DISC JOCKEY BILL “HAWK” HAWKINS AND EARL BOSTIC
Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Metadata Usage
CC0
Date
1950s
Name
Bostic, Earl • Joyce, James A. • Bill Hawkins’ Record Studio • Hawkins, Bill
Place
United States • North and Central America • Ohio • Cleveland • Cuyahoga County
Topic
Photography • Radio • Instrumentalists (Musicians) • Jazz (Music) • Rhythm and blues (Music)
Culture
African Americans
Geo Location
City • Cleveland • County • Cuyahoga County • State • Ohio • Country • United States • Continent • North and Central America
Type
Portraits • Photographs
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.

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NMAAHC

Photograph of Disc Jockey Bill “Hawk” Hawkins and Earl Bostic

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

Photograph of Disc Jockey Bill “Hawk” Hawkins, Earl Bostic, and Clyde Roberts

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

Photograph of Earl Bostic signing autographs inside Bill Hawkins’ Record Studio

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

Advertisement card for Rev. S. A. Bostic

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 Supreme Court case ruled state-sponsored public-school segregation unconstitutional?

Brown v. Board of Education in 1954.