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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

Black Uncle Sam pieced miniature quilt

Date
1986
Created by
Stephen Blumrich, German American, 1941 - 2015
Description
This miniature quilt or wall hanging made by Stephen Blumrich of Pea Ridge Purties features twelve (12) pieced Black Uncle Sam blocks separated by sashing. The quilt consists of the pieced top layer, a thin layer of batting, and a plain muslin backing. The layers are tied together with red thread, each tie corresponding to make a button at the center chest of the shirt of the pieced figural blocks. Each figure wears a red and white striped top hat with a blue brim and has his arms outstretched. The faces and hands are made from plain black cotton. Yellow eyes and a red mouth are embroidered on each face. All of the figures wear red and white striped pants matching the hats, but each figure's shirt is made from a different printed cotton. The background of the figural blocks is made from a plain muslin that appears to have been dyed with tea or coffee to appear aged. The blocks are set with sashing made from a navy cotton with small floral sprig design, with a yellow fabric in the sashing corners that is fussy cut so that a five-pointed star is at the center of the squares. The top is surrounded by a thin border made from plain red cotton. The backing of the quilt is made from a single piece of the same plain muslin dyed with coffee or tea that is used in the background of the figural blocks. Stamped in the lower right corner of the back is a rectangle in dark brown with uncolored text inside reading "PEA RIDGE / PURTIES." Text stamped in dark brown below the box reads "COPYRIGHT 1986 / STEPHEN BLUMRICH".
Place made
Tullahoma, Coffee County, Tennessee, United States, North and Central America
Topic
African American
Art
Craftsmanship
Design
Folklife
See more items in
National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Classification
Textiles and Quilts
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of the Collection of James M. Caselli and Jonathan Mark Scharer
Data Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Object number
2007.7.263
Type
quilts
Restrictions & Rights
Unknown - Restrictions Possible
Rights assessment and proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
Medium
cotton
Dimensions
H x W x D: 30 × 21 7/8 × 1/4 in. (76.2 × 55.6 × 0.6 cm)
Title
Object Name • Black Uncle Sam pieced miniature quilt
Record ID
nmaahc_2007.7.263
Museum
NMAAHC
Title Sort
BLACK UNCLE SAM PIECED MINIATURE QUILT
Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Metadata Usage
CC0
Date
1980s
Name
Blumrich, Stephen
Place
United States • Tennessee • North and Central America • Coffee County • Tullahoma
Topic
Design • Art • Folklife • Craftsmanship
Culture
African Americans
Geo Location
City • Tullahoma • County • Coffee County • State • Tennessee • Country • United States • Continent • North and Central America
Type
Quilts
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

Mug and lid for "Jolly Boy Black Tea" depicting a “picaninny” boy

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

Black Uncle Sam pieced miniature quilt

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

Beverage service from Wormley's Hotel

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

George III silver tea caddy

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