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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

Photographic plate for the April 1937 edition of The Show-Down Magazine

Date
1937
Photograph by
Hughey J. Battelle
Subject of
Al Moore
Unidentified Woman or Women
Unidentified Man or Men
Freeman and Freeman, American
Ethel Moses, American, 1904 - 1982
Paul Brown
Ubangi Club, American, 1934 - 1944
The Show-Down, American, founded 1935
Description
A photographic plate for page 8 of the April 1937 edition of The Show-Down Magazine with five (5) photographs of Al Moore and Dennie, Freeman and Freeman, Paul Brown, and two (2) images of Ethel Moses. All of the performers are depicted at the Ubangi Club, standing on a stage set featuring a facade of close-set buildings. The photographs are adhered to a cardboard backing. On the back of the plate are handwritten notations in pencil.
2013.46.25.261a
A silver gelatin print depicting a black-and-white image of Ubangi Club ballroom dancers, Al Moore and Dennie, reading a copy of Show-Down magazine. Dennie is depicted wearing a black hat, a medium toned double-breasted jacket, a matching calf-length skirt, and pumps. Moore is standing behind her, with his proper left arm wrapped around her back and his hand resting on her proper left arm. He is wearing a medium toned, pinstriped suit and tie. The two are holding a copy of The Show-Down magazine. Both are looking at it and smiling. In the bottom right corner is a handwritten inscription in pencil that reads, [crop].
2013.46.25.261b
A silver gelatin print depicting a black-and-white image of Ubangi Club tap duo, Freeman and Freeman. The woman, depicted on the right, is wearing a light toned half hat, a dark dress with a collar and buttons down the front, and lace up shoes. The man is standing behind her, with his proper left arm wrapped around her back and his hand resting on her proper left shoulder. He is wearing a dark three piece suit and tie. The two hold a copy of The Show-Down magazine featuring a close up of a woman on the front cover. Both are looking at the viewer and are smiling.
2013.46.25.261c
A silver gelatin print depicting a black-and-white image of Ethel Moses. Moses is depicted in full length, on a wooden stage at the Ubangi Club. She is standing with her arms akimbo with her hands resting on her hips, her body is turned towards the right side of the image, and with her head tilted toward the left side of the image. She is looking towards the left edge of the image and smiling. She is wearing a one piece, bathing suit costume. The top of the suit has a halter neck and a diagonally striped top. The bottom of the suit is dark with a striped belt that matches the top of the suit.
2013.46.25.261d
A silver gelatin print depicting a black-and-white image of Paul Brown. Brown is depicted in full length, on a wooden stage at the Ubangi Club. He is standing with his proper right forward and crossed in front of his proper left leg, his head turned towards the viewer. His elbows are out and his hands are clasped together in front of his chest. He is smiling and looking towards the left edge of the image. He is wearing a dark, double breasted, pinstriped suit and a dark tie.
2013.46.25.261e
A silver gelatin print depicting a black-and-white image of Ethel Moses. Moses is depicted in full length, on a wooden stage at the Ubangi Club. She is standing with her arms akimbo and with her hands resting on her hips. Her proper left shoulder held slightly forward and her proper left knee is bent. Her body is turned towards the left side of the image and her head is tilted toward the right side of the image. She is looking towards the right side of the image. She is wearing a one piece, bathing suit costume. The top of the suit has a halter neck and a diagonally striped top. The bottom of the suit is dark with a striped belt that matches the top of the suit.
Transcription Center Status
Transcribed by digital volunteers
Place captured
New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America
Place made
New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America
Topic
African American
Dance
Entertainers
Jazz (Music)
Mass media
Nightlife
Photography
Singers (Musicians)
See more items in
National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Collection title
The Laura Cathrell Show-Down Magazine Collection
Classification
Photographs and Still Images
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
Data Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Object number
2013.46.25.261a-e
Type
gelatin silver prints
Restrictions & Rights
Unknown - Restrictions Possible
Rights assessment and proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
Medium
silver and photographic gelatin on photographic paper on cardboard
Dimensions
H x W x D (Overall): 10 7/8 × 5 1/16 × 1/16 in. (27.7 × 12.9 × 0.2 cm)
H x W (2013.46.25.261a): 5 7/16 × 2 13/16 in. (13.8 × 7.1 cm)
H x W (2013.46.25.261b): 5 3/8 × 2 1/16 in. (13.7 × 5.2 cm)
H x W (2013.46.25.261c): 5 1/4 × 1 3/8 in. (13.3 × 3.5 cm)
H x W x D (2013.46.25.261d): 5 1/4 × 1 15/16 in. (13.3 × 4.9 cm)
H x W (2013.46.25.261e): 5 1/4 × 1 9/16 in. (13.3 × 4 cm)
Title
Object Name • Photographic plate for the April 1937 edition of The Show-Down Magazine
Record ID
nmaahc_2013.46.25.261a-e
Museum
NMAAHC
Title Sort
PHOTOGRAPHIC PLATE FOR THE APRIL 1937 EDITION OF THE SHOW-DOWN MAGAZINE
Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Metadata Usage
CC0
Date
1930s
Name
Moses, Ethel • Battelle, Hughey J. • Ubangi Club • Moore, Al • The Show-Down • Freeman and Freeman • Brown, Paul
Place
New York City • United States • North and Central America
Topic
Nightlife • Photography • Dance • Entertainers • Jazz (Music) • Mass media • Singers (Musicians)
Culture
African Americans
Geo Location
City • New York City • State • New York • Country • United States • Continent • North and Central America
Type
Photographs
Online Media Type
Images
Online Media Rights
Unknown - Restrictions Possible

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

Roland Freeman Oral History Interview

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Description

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Freeman A. Hrabowski, Ph. D. Oral History Interview

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NMAAHC

Photographic plate for the April 1937 edition of The Show-Down Magazine

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

Film poster for Olympus Has Fallen

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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.