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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

Marriage certificate with tintypes of Augustus L. Johnson and Malinda Murphy

Date
July 9, 1874
Photograph by
Unidentified
Printed by
Louis Prang, Prussian, 1824 - 1909
Signed by
Abraham Cole
Subject of
Augustus L. Johnson, American, born ca. 1846
Malinda Murphy, American, born ca. 1846
Description
This marriage certificate includes tintype portraits of the betrothed, Augustus Johnson and Malinda Murphy. The couple were married on July 9, 1874. The certificate, printed by Louis Prang, has an ornamental design that includes decorative lettering and framing. An illustrated man and a woman sit on the proper right and left sides of the certificate, respectively, and each of them holds a wreath and torch.The proper right side of the certificate contains the tintype of Augustus Johnson and the proper left side contains that of Malinda Murphy. Johnson’s portrait shows him looking off to the side in 2/3 profile view. He has a beard, and he is dressed in a white shirt and dark coat. Murphy’s portrait shows her facing the camera but looking off to the proper left. She wears a dark dress with a white, ruffled collar and a white bow. Her hair is a in a braided coif and she wears dangling earrings and a tasseled necklace. Pre-printed and handwritten ink text on the certificate reads: “Marriage Certificate / Mr. Augustus Johnson and Miss Malinda Murphy / Were this ninth 9th day of July 1874 legally joined by me in / MATRIMONY / In presence of Charles Bannister [and] Joanna Murphy to which I hereby / Certify Abraham Cole.”
The tintypes are secured to the reverse of the paper with masking tape and scotch tape. Adhesive residue is evident around the photographs indicating an older, failed attachment method. Illegible text is written in pencil oriented vertically at the top left, left center edge, and left side below the tintype. Additional pencil in the lower right written vertically reads "9 X 11 1/4". Handwritten ink text in the lower right reads "Dec. 17th 1874 / Sir / Snowing / Winds blowing / Augustus Johnson / Spencerport, NY / Monroe Co".
Place used
Monroe County, New York, United States, North and Central America
Topic
African American
Families
Marriage customs and rites
Photography
See more items in
National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Classification
Photographs and Still Images
Documents and Manuscripts
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Louis Moran and Douglas Van Dine
Data Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Object number
2016.58
Type
tintypes
portraits
marriage certificates
Restrictions & Rights
No Known Copyright Restrictions
Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
Medium
ink on paper, collodion and silver on iron with lacquer
Dimensions
H x W: 11 1/4 × 9 1/4 in. (28.6 × 23.5 cm)
Title
Object Name • Marriage certificate with tintypes of Augustus L. Johnson and Malinda Murphy
Record ID
nmaahc_2016.58
Museum
NMAAHC
Title Sort
MARRIAGE CERTIFICATE WITH TINTYPES OF AUGUSTUS L. JOHNSON AND MALINDA MURPHY
Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Metadata Usage
CC0
Date
1870s
Name
Prang, Louis • Murphy, Malinda • Johnson, Augustus L. • Cole, Abraham
Place
New York • Monroe County • United States • North and Central America
Topic
Photography • Family • Marriage
Culture
African Americans
Geo Location
County • Monroe County • State • New York • Country • United States • Continent • North and Central America
Type
Marriage records • Portraits • Photographs
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

Marriage certificate with tintypes of Augustus L. Johnson and Malinda Murphy

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

Letter from Carl Murphy and Afro-American Newspapers

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

Program for a Reconsecration service at Murphy AME Church

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

Half-portrait photograph of Patricia Grace Murphy

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 Supreme Court case ruled state-sponsored public-school segregation unconstitutional?

Brown v. Board of Education in 1954.