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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...

Shirley Chisholm — Unbought and Unbossed

In 1968 Shirley Chisholm became the first Black woman elected to the United States Congress. In 1972 she launched a campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination, breaking another political barrier.

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

Songs, Sketch of the Life of Blind Tom

Date
ca. 1876
Description
A pamphlet containing a summary of Blind Tom's life with lyrics to songs. The pamphlet is printed on off white paper with black ink and has thirty two pages. The front cover reads “SONGS, / SKETCH OF THE LIFE” at the top with a black-and-white image of Blind Tom. “TESTIMONIALS / FROM THE / MOST EMINENT COMPOSERS” is printed on the left side of the image and “AND OPINIONS OF THE / American and English / PRESS” is printed on the right side. Printed below the image is “OF / BLIND TOM / The Marvelous Musical Prodigy, / THE NEGRO BOY PIANIST, / WHOSE RECENT PERFORMANCES AT THE / Great St. James and Egyptian Halls, London, and Salle Hertz, Paris, / HAVE CREATED SUCH A PROFOUND SENSATION.” The back cover has “BLIND TOM'S CONCERTS / PROGRAMME” printed on it with lists of songs performed by Blind Tom in two columns.
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National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Classification
Slavery and Freedom Objects
Books and Published Materials
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Paxton and Rachel Baker
Data Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Object number
2014.3.1
Type
pamphlets
Restrictions & Rights
Public domain
Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
Medium
ink on paper
Dimensions
closed: 8 15/16 × 5 11/16 × 1/8 in. (22.7 × 14.4 × 0.3 cm)
open: 8 15/16 × 11 15/16 × 1/8 in. (22.7 × 30.3 × 0.3 cm)
Title
Title • Songs, Sketch of the Life of Blind Tom
Record ID
nmaahc_2014.3.1
Museum
NMAAHC
Title Sort
SONGS, SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF BLIND TOM
Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Metadata Usage
CC0
Date
1880s • 1870s
Geo Location
City • Baltimore • State • Maryland • Country • United States • Continent • North and Central America
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 leather pants donated by Soul Train dancer Thomas "Tom Tom" Evans

Description

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NMAAHC

The Battle between Crib and Molineaux

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

Songs, Sketch of the Life of Blind Tom

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

Photograph of Tom Durr standing next to a chair with a hat on it

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 heavyweight champion was known as the “Brown Bomber”?

Joe Louis.