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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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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...

Katherine Johnson — Mathematics to the Moon

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.

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

Pair of mule style shoes with wooden soles

Date
mid 19th-early 20th century
Created by
Unidentified
Description
A pair of mule-or slipper-style shoes with wooden soles and leather uppers. The soles are shaped for the left (a) and right (b) feet. The shoes have rounded toes and carved, slightly raised heels. The shoes have a vamp only, so that the leather would not fully enclose the wearer's foot. Each vamp is made from a single piece of leather that doubles over at the point where the upper attaches to the sole, as well as at the foot opening, for extra strength. The vamps are pegged to the wooden soles with metal pegs. The shoes slip onto the wearers foot and do not have any closure methods.
Topic
African American
Clothing and dress
Reconstruction, U.S. History, 1865-1877
Slavery
U.S. History, 1865-1921
U.S. History, Civil War, 1861-1865
See more items in
National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Collection title
Robinson Family Collection of African American History
Classification
Slavery and Freedom Objects
Clothing - Fashion and Historical
Exhibition
Slavery and Freedom
On View
NMAAHC (1400 Constitution Ave NW), National Mall Location, Concourse 3, C3 053
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Avis, Eugene, and Lowell Robinson
Data Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Object number
2014.179.3ab
Type
mules
Restrictions & Rights
No Known Copyright Restrictions
Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
Medium
hide, wood, and metal
Dimensions
H x W x D (overall (a) left): 3 5/8 × 10 7/8 × 5 15/16 in. (9.2 × 27.6 × 15.1 cm)
H x W x D (overall (b) right): 3 1/8 × 11 1/8 × 6 1/8 in. (7.9 × 28.3 × 15.6 cm)
Title
Object Name • Pair of mule style shoes with wooden soles
Record ID
nmaahc_2014.179.3ab
Museum
NMAAHC
Title Sort
PAIR OF MULE STYLE SHOES WITH WOODEN SOLES
Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Metadata Usage
CC0
Date
1920s • 1840s
Topic
Slavery • U.S. History, 1865-1921 • U.S. History, Civil War, 1861-1865 • Clothing and dress • Reconstruction, U.S. History, 1865-1877
Culture
African Americans
Exhibition
NMAAHC • Slavery and Freedom
Type
mules
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.

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NMAAHC

Broadside for a James Brown concert at Lowell Memorial Auditorium

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

Letter to Charles Chesnutt from W. E. B. Du Bois

Date: Date

Caption

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NMAAHC

Pair of mule style shoes with wooden soles

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

Advertisement for Coke from Ebony Magazine

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.