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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

Costume dress for Lady in Orange from for colored girls... on Broadway

Date
1976-1978
Designed by
Judy Dearing, American, 1940 - 1995
Worn by
Ntozake Shange, American, 1948 - 2018
Subject of
Black Fashion Museum, American, 1979 - 2007
Description
Sleeveless dress costume for the character Lady in Orange from the original Broadway production of Ntozake Shange's choreopoem "for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf." The dress is made from orange satin synthetic fabric with the crepe finished wrong side facing. The bodice has a sweetheart neckline, scooped back, and front shaping with princess darts, ending at the natural waistline. The neckline and armholes are edged with the orange fabric, with the shiny satin side facing. There is a length of self-fabric piping around the waist, again with the shiny satin side facing. The full circle skirt falls at the knee and is hemmed with serged stitching in orange thread. The dress closes at the center back with a metal zipper, with two (2) metal hook-and-eye fasteners, one at the top of the back and the second at the waist. There is a length of cream grosgrain ribbon sewn to the interior proper left waist with a large metal eye on the end, which closes with a large metal hook sewn to the interior proper right waist just inside the zipper. The bodice is lined with orange synthetic satin, while the skirt is not lined. There are six (6) male metal snaps, three at each armhole interior; there is no evidence of the corresponding female sides of these snaps.
Place used
New York City, Manhattan County, New York, United States, North and Central America
Topic
African American
Broadway Theatre
Clothing and dress
Costume
Costume design
Design
Poetry
Women
See more items in
National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Collection title
Black Fashion Museum Collection
Classification
Clothing - Costume
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
2007.3.37
Type
dresses
Restrictions & Rights
No Known Copyright Restrictions
Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
Medium
synthetic satin and crepe with metal closures
Dimensions
H x W x D (on form): 43 1/2 × 15 × 15 in. (110.5 × 38.1 × 38.1 cm)
Title
Object Name • Costume dress for Lady in Orange from for colored girls... on Broadway
Record ID
nmaahc_2007.3.37
Museum
NMAAHC
Title Sort
COSTUME DRESS FOR LADY IN ORANGE FROM FOR COLORED GIRLS... ON BROADWAY
Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Metadata Usage
CC0
Date
1970s
Name
Dearing, Judy • Black Fashion Museum • Shange, Ntozake
Place
New York City • United States • North and Central America • Manhattan County
Topic
Design • Women • Broadway Theatre • Costume • Clothing and dress • Poetry
Culture
African Americans
Geo Location
City • New York City • County • Manhattan County • State • New York • Country • United States • Continent • North and Central America
Type
Dresses (garments)
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

Black cape from a costume worn by Nona Hendryx of Labelle

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

Prop riding crop from a costume worn by Nona Hendryx of Labelle

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

Costume dress for Lady in Orange from for colored girls... on Broadway

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

Costume dress for Lady in Purple from for colored girls... on Broadway

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

What prosperous Tulsa district became widely known as “Black Wall Street”?

The Greenwood District.