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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

Tin for Murray’s Superior Hair Dressing Pomade

Date
2014
Manufactured by
Murray's Worldwide, Inc., American, founded 1925
Description
A round and metal orange-colored tin of Murray’s Superior Hair Dressing Pomade. The body of the tin (2014.261a) features the company name, product name, and quantity and weight of the product in black and red type that reads [MURRAY’S® / SUPERIOR HAIR DRESSING POMADE / IS1 / NET WT. 3 OZ. PSO NETO e 85g.]. On one section of the tin are directions for use in English, Spanish, French and German in black text. On another panel is product information, ingredients, manufacturer’s information surround the perimeter of the container in black text. Between the two panels is a depiction of a woman’s head in profile. Above her head is a white banner with red text that reads {www.MurraysPomade.com]. A black-and-white barcode is on the bottom of the body of the tin, with the text [www.murrayspomade.com / Established 1925] underneath in black type. On top of the lid (2014.261b), there is a black-and-white depiction of a man and a woman both with red lips in the center with a white circle with an orange perimeter in the bottom right corner of the depiction. Along the perimeter of the top of the lid is text that reads [MURRAY'S SUPERIOR] curved at above the depiction of the man and woman in black and red text, with [HAIR DRESSING POMADE] curved underneath in red text. Curved, black text in a smaller font to the right of the man and woman reads [MANUFACTURED BY / MURRAY'S SUPERIOR PRODUCTS CO. / 21841 WYOMING, OAK PARK, MI 48237 USA]. At the very bottom of the top of the lid, is black text that reads [COPYRIGHT 1926 BY MURRAY'S SUPERIOR PRODUCTS CO.].
Place made
Oak Park, Oakland County, Michigan, United States, North and Central America
Topic
African American
Hair
Multilingual communication
See more items in
National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Classification
Accessories and Personal Effects
Exhibition
Cultural Expressions
On View
NMAAHC (1400 Constitution Ave NW), National Mall Location, Culture/Fourth Floor, 4 050
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Marva P. Wiley
Data Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Object number
2014.261ab
Type
tins
Restrictions & Rights
No Known Copyright Restrictions
Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
Medium
ink on metal
Dimensions
Overall: 1 13/16 × 3 1/16 × 3 1/16 in. (4.6 × 7.8 × 7.8 cm)
Lid: 1/2 × 3 1/16 × 3 1/16 in. (1.3 × 7.8 × 7.8 cm)
Body of Tin: 1 5/8 × 3 × 3 in. (4.1 × 7.6 × 7.6 cm)
Title
Object Name • Tin for Murray’s Superior Hair Dressing Pomade
Record ID
nmaahc_2014.261ab
Museum
NMAAHC
Title Sort
TIN FOR MURRAY’S SUPERIOR HAIR DRESSING POMADE
Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Metadata Usage
CC0
Date
2010s
Name
Murray's Worldwide, Inc.
Place
Oakland County • United States • North and Central America • Oak Park • Michigan
Topic
Hair • Multilingual communication
Culture
African Americans
Exhibition
NMAAHC • Cultural Expressions
Geo Location
City • Oak Park • County • Oakland County • State • Michigan • Country • United States • Continent • North and Central America
Type
tins
On Physical Exhibit
Yes
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

Tin for Murray’s Superior Hair Dressing Pomade

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Rev. Dr. Anna Pauline "Pauli" Murray

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Photograph of Odessa Jones Murray in front of a car

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Harry Murray pilots a bateau boat, Hilton Head Island, SC

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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

Who was the first African-American woman millionaire in the United States?

Madam C.J. Walker