Explore the people, places, events, achievements, struggles and stories that shaped our journey.
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Civil Rights
Movements, leaders, victories and the continuing fight for equality.
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Black Inventors
Innovation, patents, science, technology and world-changing contributions.
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Sports
Pioneers, champions, Negro Leagues, records, activism and excellence.
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People
Meet the people whose lives, choices and achievements shaped the journey.
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Places
Black towns, communities, institutions and places where history happened.
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Events
Moments that changed communities, movements, institutions and the nation.
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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.
Katherine Johnson’s mathematical calculations helped guide some of America’s most important early space missions while she confronted the racial and gender barriers faced by Black women in twentieth-century America.
Reflects the personal views, recollections, and perspective of the author, Mike Davis.
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.
BHP gathered finds from its connected research sources.
Showing the 4
strongest Black History matches.
Eastlake style home built in 1887 for City Councilman Daniel Innes; the family lived there for 30 years; their Innes Shoe Store prospered in Downtown. The Manor was used as the residence of the Halliwell sisters in the WB show Charmed.
First peaked roof house designed by Richard Neutra with triangular glazed gable openings, built in 1941; profoundly influenced American suburban architecture in the 1950s and 1960s; moved to Angelino Heights 2007–08
Victorian carriage house built in the 1880s; designed by Burgess J. Reeve; relocated in 2005 from original location at 629 West 18th St. Los Angeles, California
^Numbers in 1-999 series are L.A. Historic-Cultural Monuments; CHL numbers are state-designated California Historical Landmark sites; 2000 series denote LAHCM assigned numbers for federally designated sites. Blue colors represent higher designations as National Historic Landmarks and/or listing on the National Register of Historic Places; yellow represents sites that are L.A. Historic-Cultural Monuments without a higher designation. No color represents information is unavailable or the monument has been delisted. To resort on this column, refresh your browser.
^Numbers in 1000 series denote LAHCM assigned numbers for state-designated sites; 2000 series denote LAHCM assigned numbers for federally designated sites. Blue colors represent higher designations as National Historic Landmarks and/or listing on the National Register of Historic Places; yellow represents sites that are L.A. Historic-Cultural Monuments without a higher designation. No color represents information is unavailable or the monument has been delisted. To resort on this column, refresh your browser.
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.
Who was the first African-American woman millionaire in the United States?
Madam C.J. Walker
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What Happened in Wilmington in 1898?
A thriving Black political and business community in Wilmington, North Carolina was attacked as white supremacists seized control of local government. Black citizens were killed and expelled, and elected leadership was overthrown. The event reshaped the city and suppressed Black political power for generations.
