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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...

The Violence That Helped Spark the NAACP

In August 1908, a white mob attacked Springfield, Illinois’s Black community, destroying homes and businesses and lynching two Black men. National outrage over the violence helped spur the movement that created the NAACP the following year.

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

Light pink dress worn by Whoopi Goldberg as Celie in The Color Purple

Date
1985
Designed by
Aggie Guerard Rodgers, American, born 1943
Manufactured by
Palace Costume Company, American, founded 1990
Worn by
Whoopi Goldberg, American, born 1955
Subject of
Alice Walker, American, born 1944
Description
Light pink dress worn by Whoopi Goldberg as the character Celie Harris Johnson in the film "The Color Purple." The ankle-length dress with three-quarter length tapered sleeves, gathered waist, and full skirt is made from a pale pink cotton with details in a pink, white, and gray woven striped check. The spread collar with a long square back, the cuffs of the sleeves, the waist band, the two (2) patch pockets on each front side hip of the skirt, and a center panel on the front skirt are all made of the striped check fabric. The collar is trimmed with cream floral lace with a scalloped edge. The dress closes down the center front with two (2) small round mother of pearl buttons with a star design and one (1) metal hook-and-eye fastener at the neck, and at the front waistband with one (1) metal hook-and-eye fastener, two (2) medium round mother of pearl buttons, and four (4) metal snaps. A slit is left open below the waistband closure on the proper left side of the skirt. The dress is not lined. Two labels are sewn at the interior center back neck; the bottom is a white cloth label with illegible black handwritten text above brown printed text reading "Palace Costume Co."; the top label is a white cloth label with a barcode adhered to the front of it and printed text above the barcode reading "PALACE COSTUME CO." and text below the barcode reading "37005001".
Place used
North Carolina, United States, North and Central America
California, United States, North and Central America
Topic
African American
Actors
Clothing and dress
Costume
Costume design
Design
Families
Film
Gender
LGBTQ
Literature
Sexuality
Violence
Women
See more items in
National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Classification
Clothing - Costume
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
2014.184.4
Type
dresses
Restrictions & Rights
No Known Copyright Restrictions
Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
Medium
cotton with mother of pearl buttons and metal closures
Dimensions
H x W x D (On form): 50 3/4 × 19 1/4 × 15 in. (128.9 × 48.9 × 38.1 cm)
Title
Object Name • Light pink dress worn by Whoopi Goldberg as Celie in The Color Purple
Record ID
nmaahc_2014.184.4
Museum
NMAAHC
Title Sort
LIGHT PINK DRESS WORN BY WHOOPI GOLDBERG AS CELIE IN THE COLOR PURPLE
Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Metadata Usage
CC0
Date
1980s
Name
Palace Costume Company • Rodgers, Aggie Guerard • Goldberg, Whoopi • Walker, Alice
Place
North Carolina • United States • North and Central America • California
Topic
Design • Women • Literature • LGBTQ • Actors and actresses • Violence • Costume • Clothing and dress • Sexuality • Family • Motion pictures • Gender issues
Culture
African Americans
Geo Location
State • North Carolina • Country • United States • Continent • North and Central America • State • California
Type
Dresses (garments)
Online Media Rights
No Known Copyright Restrictions

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

White and blue dress worn by Whoopi Goldberg as Celie in The Color Purple

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

Light pink dress worn by Whoopi Goldberg as Celie in The Color Purple

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

Dress worn by Whoopi Goldberg and Desreta Jackson as Celie in The Color Purple

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

Playbill for Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

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

Who became the first Black woman to travel into space?

Mae Jemison, aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour in 1992.