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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

A Negro Explorer at the North Pole

Date
1912
Written by
Matthew A. Henson, American, 1866 - 1955
Booker T. Washington, American, 1856 - 1915
Robert E. Peary, American, 1856 - 1920
Published by
Frederick A. Stokes Company
Photograph by
Matthew A. Henson, American, 1866 - 1955
Description
A hardcover first edition of A Negro Explorer at the North Pole, a memoir written by explorer Matthew Henson about his early 20th century international seafaring artic expeditions. There is a forward written by Robert E. Peary and an introduction written by Booker T. Washington. The book is protected by an off-white covered dust jacket.
From top to bottom, with a halftone relief headshot of Matthew Henson, it reads: [A NEGRO EXPLORER / AT THE / NORTH POLE / By MATTHEW HENSON / With forward by Robert E. Peary / and introduction by Booker T. Washington / THIS IS the book of the foremost explorer of his race, the negro / who stood at the North Pole with Peary. / It is interesting not only because it tells of the noteworthy / achievement of a negro rising from great handicaps, / whom Peary trusted with many important responsibili- / ties, but also because in his own entertaining manner / Henson gives an extremely interesting account of the ex- / pedition, with sidelights on Eskimo life and Arctic cus- / toms, concerning which his knowledge is without peer. / It is a unique addition to the literature of exploration, and should stand / beside Peary’s “The North Pole” and Borup’s “A Tenderfoot with Peary.” / With 7 illustration from photographs. $1.00 net. / Publishers – FREDERICK A. STOKES COMPANY – New York].
The spine of the book repeats the front cover title, author, and publisher information.
There are 218 pages total, and seven black-and-white halftone-relief images depicting Henson, Eskimos, Camp Jessup, and the Roosevelt. The interior of the dust jacket features publisher advertisement synopses of Robert E. Peary’s books about the arctic. The uncovered book is constructed of a marled blue fabric featuring the same halftone relief headshot of Henson as on the paper sleeve. The title and author name are printed in bold white uppercase on the front cover and spine. The back cover of the book reads “NEW FICTION” at the top, below which are advertised three novels and their synopses, published by the Frederick A. Stokes Company of New York.
Place depicted
North Pole, Arctic
Cape Morris Jesup, Greenland, Denmark, North and Central America
Topic
African American
Language
Men
Race relations
Science
Travel
See more items in
National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Classification
Books and Published Materials
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
2018.46.1
Type
relief halftones
books
hardcover books
Restrictions & Rights
Public domain
Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
Medium
ink on wove paper and cardboard
Dimensions
H x W x D: 7 11/16 × 5 1/4 × 1 3/16 in. (19.5 × 13.4 × 3 cm)
Title
Title • A Negro Explorer at the North Pole
Record ID
nmaahc_2018.46.1
Museum
NMAAHC
Title Sort
A NEGRO EXPLORER AT THE NORTH POLE
Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Metadata Usage
CC0
Date
1910s
Name
Henson, Matthew A. • Washington, Booker T. • Peary, Robert E. • Frederick A. Stokes Company
Place
North Pole • North and Central America • Denmark • Cape Morris Jesup • Arctic • Greenland
Topic
Description and travel • Men • Language and languages • Science • Race relations
Culture
African Americans
Geo Location
Locale • North Pole • Region • Arctic • Locale • Cape Morris Jesup • Country • Greenland • Nation • Denmark • Continent • North and Central America
Type
relief halftones • Hardcover books • Books
Online Media Type
Images
Online Media Rights
No Known Copyright Restrictions

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

A Negro Explorer at the North Pole

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

Signal flag with pole

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NMAAHC

Photograph of a barn and telephone pole

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NMAAHC

Half tent and pole shelter used in World War I

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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 became the first Black woman to travel into space?

Mae Jemison, aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour in 1992.