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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

Case for chaplain kit used by Army Chaplain Louis J. Beasley

Date
1939-1944
Issued by
United States Army, American, founded 1775
Used by
Louis J. Beasley, American, 1907 - 2001
Description
A case (a) with removable joint (b) used to store the Chaplain's Kit used by Army Chaplain Louis J. Beasley. The case is made from black metal, with a black plastic handle and two (2) black metal clasps on the front, and is rectangular in shape. The case lid is attached to the base with hinges along the back edge. The interior of the case has two levels. The top level is a formed sheet of metal, the same material as the exterior of the case, that unfolds to serve as an altar. The altarpiece is affixed to the interior of the case by a hinge along its back edge, and cannot be removed. The altarpiece has two additional (2) retractable flaps, one hinged onto the left side and the other hinged onto the right side, which fold down to extend the altarpiece. Both the left side and the right side have a triangular piece of metal hinged to the underside, which supports each side once they are folded down. There is a cloth strap affixed to the interior of the lid that snaps to the underside of the altarpiece platform, to hold the altarpiece up when accessing the level below. Below the metal altarpiece, the bottom level is segmented into three (3) rows with compartments to hold objects to be used when performing Christan services. The rows on the left and the right are lined with blue velour fabric, and have specific divots and indentations to indicate which specific item should be stored in which place. The central row is unlined, and is not subdivided. On the outside of the case, just below the handle, painted in yellow, is [U.S.].
Place made
United States, North and Central America
Topic
African American
Catholicism
Men
Military
Religion
Segregation
Worship services
See more items in
National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Classification
Sacred and Ceremonial Objects
Exhibition
Defending Freedom, Defining Freedom: The Era of Segregation, 1876-1968
On View
NMAAHC (1400 Constitution Ave NW), National Mall Location, Concourse 2, C 2053
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of the Louis J. Beasley Family
Data Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Object number
2013.205.1.1ab
Type
communion sets
Restrictions & Rights
No Known Copyright Restrictions
Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
Medium
metal, velour, plastic, wood and cord
Dimensions
H x W x D: 15 1/2 × 18 × 7 in. (39.4 × 45.7 × 17.8 cm)
Title
Object Name • Case for chaplain kit used by Army Chaplain Louis J. Beasley
Record ID
nmaahc_2013.205.1.1ab
Museum
NMAAHC
Title Sort
CASE FOR CHAPLAIN KIT USED BY ARMY CHAPLAIN LOUIS J. BEASLEY
Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Metadata Usage
CC0
Date
1940s • 1930s
Name
United States Army • Beasley, Louis J.
Place
United States • North and Central America
Topic
Segregation • Men • Religion • Worship services • Military
Culture
African Americans • Catholics
Exhibition
NMAAHC • Defending Freedom, Defining Freedom: The Era of Segregation, 1876-1968
Geo Location
Country • United States • Continent • North and Central America
Type
communion sets
On Physical Exhibit
Yes
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.

NMAAHC

Singer sewing machine and table from Mae's Millinery Shop

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NMAAHC

Hinged wooden box owned by members of the Ellis family

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NMAAHC

Floral embroidered purse used by Dinah Washington

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NMAAHC

Case for chaplain kit used by Army Chaplain Louis J. Beasley

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 was the first African-American woman millionaire in the United States?

Madam C.J. Walker