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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...

Ruler of the Mali Empire in the 14th century

Mansa Musa was the ruler of the Mali Empire in West Africa. Details recorded here should be sourced; unknown information is left blank.

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

Carte-de-visite portrait of Abby and Julia Smith

Date
1877
Photograph by
Unidentified
Subject of
Abby Hadassah Smith, American, 1797 - 1878
Julia Evelina Smith, American, 1792 - 1886
Owned by
Emily Howland, American, 1827 - 1929
Description
Carte-de-visite of Abby Hadassah Smith and Julia Evelina Smith shown in full portrait. The Smith sisters are shown standing with one shown in profile with her left side facing the camera. She looks at her sister standing to her right, who is facing the camera but looks off frame to her right. Both women wear dark colored bonnets, dark duster coats over their dresses, and have large paisley shawls draped over their arms around their backs. They stand in front of a wall with decorative wallpaper on the lower portion and behind a small wooden table.
Handwritten in graphite on the mount below the print is the text, "Abby Julia". On the back of the photograph, handwritten in graphite, is the text, "The Smith sisters / Glastonbury / Conn. / 1877".
The photograph is housed in the album 2017.30. The album page has a triple-lined, gold border framing the print. Handwritten in graphite inside the bottom border of the printed frame of the album page is the text "Abby + Julia Smith of Conn." Handwritten at the lower left corner of the album page in graphite is the text "SMITH SISTERS - 1877".
Place depicted
Glastonbury, Hartford County, Connecticut, United States, North and Central America
Topic
African American
Antislavery
Photography
Suffrage
Women
See more items in
National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Collection title
Emily Howland Photograph Album
Classification
Slavery and Freedom Objects
Photographs and Still Images
Movement
Abolitionist movement
Credit Line
Collection of the National Museum of African American History and Culture shared with the Library of Congress
Data Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Object number
2017.30.11
Type
cartes-de-visite
albumen prints
portraits
Restrictions & Rights
Public domain
Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
Medium
albumen and silver on photographic paper on card mount
Dimensions
H x W (Image): 3 5/8 × 2 1/4 in. (9.2 × 5.7 cm)
H x W (Image and Mount): 4 3/16 × 2 1/2 in. (10.6 × 6.3 cm)
Title
Object Name • Carte-de-visite portrait of Abby and Julia Smith
Record ID
nmaahc_2017.30.11
Museum
NMAAHC
Title Sort
CARTE-DE-VISITE PORTRAIT OF ABBY AND JULIA SMITH
Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Metadata Usage
CC0
Date
1870s
Name
Howland, Emily • Smith, Abby Hadassah • Smith, Julia Evelina
Place
Glastonbury • United States • North and Central America • Connecticut • Hartford County
Topic
Photography • Women • Suffrage • Abolitionist movement • Antislavery
Culture
African Americans
Geo Location
City • Glastonbury • County • Hartford County • State • Connecticut • Country • United States • Continent • North and Central America
Type
Portraits • Photographs • Visiting cards
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.

NMAAHC

Carte-de-visite portrait of Abby D. Munro

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

Carte-de-visite portrait of Abby and Julia Smith

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

Flyer Promoting a Rally for Angela Davis Day

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

Flyer Advertising an Evening with Angela Davis

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.