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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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THE JOURNEY THROUGH TIME
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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

Leslie speaker cabinet owned by James Brown

Date
ca. 1968
Manufactured by
CBS Broadcasting, Inc., American, founded 1927
Owned by
James Brown, American, 1933 - 2006
Description
A Leslie type 122 speaker cabinet covered in black vinyl and trimmed with silver roping. Red vinyl letters outlined with brass colored metal rivets form the letters “J B” on the front of the speaker. The speaker is on four wheels and is open on the lower back. The speaker is accompanied by vinyl cover (2008.7.1.2.1).
Place made
Illinois, United States, North and Central America
Topic
African American
Funk (Music)
Soul (Music)
See more items in
National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Classification
Musical Instruments
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
2008.7.1.2
Type
loudspeakers
Restrictions & Rights
No Known Copyright Restrictions
Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
Medium
wood, vinyl, metal, glass
Dimensions
42 × 29 × 21 in. (106.7 × 73.7 × 53.3 cm)
Title
Object Name • Leslie speaker cabinet owned by James Brown
Record ID
nmaahc_2008.7.1.2
Museum
NMAAHC
Title Sort
LESLIE SPEAKER CABINET OWNED BY JAMES BROWN
Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Metadata Usage
CC0
Date
1950s • 1970s
Name
Brown, James • CBS Broadcasting, Inc.
Place
United States • Illinois • North and Central America
Topic
Soul (Music) • Funk (Music)
Culture
African Americans
Geo Location
State • Illinois • Country • United States • Continent • North and Central America
Type
Loudspeakers
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

Group portrait of the Christmas cast party for Lew Leslie's "Blackbirds of 1928"

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

Photograph of Cpl. Lawrence Leslie McVey with his son, Lawrence McVey Jr.

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

Photograph of Cpl. Lawrence Leslie McVey

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

Leslie speaker cabinet owned by James Brown

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 Black woman became the first elected to the United States Congress?

Shirley Chisholm, elected in 1968.