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THE BHP WIRE —
HIDDEN TRUTHS
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...

Wilmington 1898 — An American Coup

Wilmington, North Carolina once had a thriving Black middle class and an elected interracial government. In 1898 white supremacists used violence to overthrow that government, kill Black residents and drive many others from the city.

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

Beaded orange velvet evening top and skirt

Date
1965-1980
Created by
Unidentified
Subject of
Black Fashion Museum, American, 1979 - 2007
Description
A beaded orange velvet sleeveless evening top and matching skirt. The top (a) has a high band collar and is made of orange silk velvet embellished with clear iridescent glass bugle and sea beads with hexagons and geometric patterning. The collar is heavily embellished with three rows of trim made of white iridescent plastic sequins and looped white synthetic cording with iridescent filament. Two hooks and eyes are sewn to the proper right side of the collar. The top of the front bodice panel is gathered under the collar and slightly at the hem. A two-and-a-half-inch wide band is sewn to the bottom of the front bodice panel. This band extends beyond the bodice panel and fastens at the center back with a pair of metal hooks and eyes at each end. The back of the top has a rounded neckline and is slightly gathered at the hem. A two and a half inch wide band is sewn to the hem and extends beyond the back bodice panel which wraps around and ties at the center front. The front and back bodice panels are left open at the sides. The top is lined with orange silk crepe de chine and is machine stitched to the silk velvet. The bands along the hemline are double layered. White elastic is hand stitched to each side of the front bodice panel with a metal hook on the proper left side and a metal eye on the proper right side.
The matching knee length skirt (b) has a self-fabric waistband with an additional length across the front that attaches to the proper left side with two hook and eye closures. The skirt is made of orange velvet and has the same embellishment patterning as the top, but it is placed on a perpendicular grain. The skirt opens at the front, offset to the proper right with two hooks and eyes at the waistband and three on the skirt. The opening is sewn past the bottom hook and eye and continues into a ten and a half inch side slit. An inverted pleat is sewn to the proper left side of the skirt and on the back of the skirt offset to the proper right. The skirt is lined with orange silk crepe de chine and is hand stitched to the silk velvet at the hemline.
Cataloging Notes
This project received Federal support from the Smithsonian American Women’s History Initiative Pool, administered by the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum.
Topic
African American
Clothing and dress
Fashion
See more items in
National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Collection title
Black Fashion Museum Collection
Classification
Clothing - Fashion and Historical
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of the Black Fashion Museum founded by Lois K. Alexander-Lane
Data Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Object number
2007.3.657ab
Type
ensembles (costume)
shirts
skirts
Restrictions & Rights
No known copyright restrictions
Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
Medium
silk velvet, silk crepe de chine, glass beads, plastic, and elastic
Dimensions
L x W (a. top): 19 1/2 × 18 1/2 in. (49.5 × 47 cm)
L x W (b. skirt): 22 × 14 in. (55.9 × 35.6 cm)
Title
Object Name • Beaded orange velvet evening top and skirt
Record ID
nmaahc_2007.3.657ab
Museum
NMAAHC
Title Sort
BEADED ORANGE VELVET EVENING TOP AND SKIRT
Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Metadata Usage
CC0
Date
1960s • 1980s
Name
Black Fashion Museum
Topic
Clothing and dress • Fashion
Culture
African Americans
Type
Shirts • Costume • Skirts (garments) • Ensembles (costume)
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.

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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 Supreme Court case ruled state-sponsored public-school segregation unconstitutional?

Brown v. Board of Education in 1954.