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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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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

Ombré rainbow column dress and kimono style coverup by Eric Gaskins

Date
2004-2005
Designed by
Eric Gaskins, American, born 1958
Used by
Ebony Fashion Fair, American, 1958 - 2009
Subject of
Johnson Publishing Company, American, 1942 - 2019
Description
One-sleeved ombré rainbow column dress (.1) and matching kimono style coverup (.2) by Eric Gaskins.
The dress (.1) is made from an ombré rainbow dyed polyester chiffon. The bodice is asymmetrical with a high front neckline and a plunging rounded back. It has one strap made from twisted fabric that begins at the front below the proper right bust line, gathers at the left shoulder, then turns from the left shoulder across the back to the proper right back bodice, becoming more tightly twisted along this line. The column skirt is floor-length with a thigh-high slit at the proper right side. An additional length of chiffon is sewn along the proper right front side seam of the skirt that wraps around the back and is gathered at the top and fastens at the proper left back shoulder, though it has come detached. The dress closes at the proper left side underarm with a zipper. It is fully lined in light blue synthetic fabric. A black fabric label with white embroidered text is sewn at the interior center back bodice that reads "eric gaskins / ERIC GASKINS / NEW YORK".
The coverup (.2) is made from a single layer of the ombré polyester. It opens down the center front reaching to the floor in a flowing manner, with pleating at the center back neck creating fullness in the back of the garment. It has kimono style sleeves. Red satin trims the neck, front opening, bottom hem, and sleeve hems. The coverup fastens with one (1) hook-and-eye at the center front top neck. There are no labels.
Topic
African American
Clothing and dress
Design
Fashion
Fashion design
See more items in
National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Collection title
Ebony Fashion Fair Collection
Classification
Clothing - Fashion and Historical
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
2015.141.19.1-.2
Type
coverups
evening dresses
Restrictions & Rights
© Eric Gaskins
Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
Medium
dress: polyester chiffon, synthetic fiber, and metal zipper;
coverup: polyester chiffon and metal fastener
Dimensions
H x W (.1 flat): 63 × 17 1/2 in. (160 × 44.5 cm)
H x W (.2 flat): 62 3/4 × 23 in. (159.4 × 58.4 cm)
Title
Object Name • Ombré rainbow column dress and kimono style coverup by Eric Gaskins
Record ID
nmaahc_2015.141.19.1-.2
Museum
NMAAHC
Title Sort
OMBRÉ RAINBOW COLUMN DRESS AND KIMONO STYLE COVERUP BY ERIC GASKINS
Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Metadata Usage
CC0
Date
2000s
Name
Johnson Publishing Company • Gaskins, Eric • Ebony Fashion Fair
Topic
Design • Clothing and dress • Fashion
Culture
African Americans
Type
coverups • Dresses (garments)
Online Media Rights
Use Restricted

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

Fashion illustration of an evening gown and single sleeve scarf by Eric Gaskins

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

Fashion illustration of a sleeveless evening gown by Eric Gaskins

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

Eric Gaskins: Fall Preview 2009

Date: Date

Description

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No preview image
NMAAHC

Ombré rainbow column dress and kimono style coverup by Eric Gaskins

Date: Date

Description

MORE →
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.