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GREENWOOD / BLACK WALL STREET WILMINGTON 1898 LITTLE ROCK NINE TUSKEGEE STUDY ROSEWOOD 1923 THE TUSKEGEE AIRMEN SENECA VILLAGE BLACK TOWNS GREENWOOD / BLACK WALL STREET WILMINGTON 1898 LITTLE ROCK NINE TUSKEGEE STUDY ROSEWOOD 1923 THE TUSKEGEE AIRMEN SENECA VILLAGE BLACK TOWNS
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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

Daphne Muse Oral History Interview

Date
November 14, 2023
Created by
National Museum of African American History and Culture, American, founded 2003
Recorded by
Trudy Hutcherson, American
Candace Dane Chambers, American
Interviewed by
Natalie Riddick
Interview of
Daphne Muse, American, 1944 - 2026
Subject of
McKinley Technology High School, American, born 1926
Fisk University, American, founded 1866
Arnaud Wendell Bontemps, American, 1902 - 1973
Drum and Spear Press, American, 1968 - 1974
Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, American, 1960 - 1970s
Howard University, American, founded 1867
Ralph Featherstone, American, 1939 - 1970
William Payne, American, 1943 - 1970
Patrice Émery Lumumba, Congolese, 1925 - 1961
Federal Bureau of Investigation, American, founded 1908
Shirley Graham Du Bois, American, 1896 - 1977
Jennifer Lawson, American, born 1946
Courtland Cox, American, born 1941
Charles E. Cobb Jr., American, born 1943
Dr. Walter Rodney, Guyanese, 1942 - 1980
Angela Y. Davis, American, born 1944
Howard Moore Jr., American, born 1932
Communist Party of the United States of America, American, founded 1919
Ruchell "Cinque" Magee, American, 1939 - 2023
National Museum of African American History and Culture, American, founded 2003
Rosa Parks, American, 1913 - 2005
University of California, Berkeley, American, founded 1868
Northwestern University, American, founded 1851
Description
An oral history interview and conversation with educator Daphne Muse. It consists of three versions of a digital video recording, two camera card files (2025.12.9.1.1 and 2025.12.9.1.2, .mxf files) and one edited file (2025.12.9.1.3, .mov file).
Daphne Muse was interviewed by Loyola Marymount University student Natalie Riddick on November 14, 2023, as part of the Social Justice Conversations Oral History Project. The interview took place at the Muse’s home in Brentwood, California. At the time of the interview, Muse was 79 years old.
This oral history interview consists of two distinct sections: an “interview” section (part 1) and a “conversation” section (part 2, 01:01:33). In part 1, Muse describes her upbringing in Washington, DC, her early educational journey, and recalls the city spaces Black people could not access during segregation. She describes her time at Fisk University followed by her work at the Drum and Spear Bookstore. During her time at the bookstore, she recounts a small riot that occurred nearby in response to police beating a pregnant woman and Muse’s traumatic experience of being tear-gassed and her subsequent miscarriage. She conveys how she was impacted by the murders of SNCC members Ralph Featherstone and William “Che” Payne in and discusses FBI surveillance. Muse also recalls her journey to California and her involvement with the Angela Davis trial. In part 2, Riddick and Muse discuss letter writing, and Muse describes the correspondence in her archive. Riddick and Muse reflect on social justice, liberation, the term “white supremacy,” and attempts to censor Black history. Muse discusses the prison movement (including correspondence with the San Quentin Six, the Soledad Brothers, and Ruchell Magee), the challenges of mothering while being involved in activist work, and her time as a professor. Finally, Muse shares her advice for younger generations, how her perspective on social justice has shifted, and Riddick reflects on the younger generations of today.
Place filmed
Brentwood, Contra Costa County, California, United States, North and Central America
Place captured
Washington, District of Columbia, United States, North and Central America
Bel Air, Harford County, Maryland, United States, North and Central America
Nashville, Davidson County, Tennessee, United States, North and Central America
San Rafael, Marin County, California, United States, North and Central America
Berkeley, Alameda County, California, United States, North and Central America
Topic
African American
Activism
Civil Rights
Communities
Correspondence
Education
HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities)
Health
Justice
Law
Literature
Motherhood
Museums
Prisons
Segregation
Social reform
Travel
U.S. History, 1961-1969
U.S. History, 1969-2001
Urban life
Violence
Youth
See more items in
National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Collection title
Social Justice Conversations Oral History Project
Classification
Time-based Media - Moving Images
Movement
Civil Rights Movement
Black Power (Black Pride)
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
2025.12.9.1
Type
video recordings
oral histories
digital media - born digital
Restrictions & Rights
© Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
Medium
digital
Dimensions
Duration (2025.12.9.1.3, edited): 1 hr., 59 min., 5 sec.
File size: 180 GB
Title
Title • Daphne Muse Oral History Interview
Record ID
nmaahc_2025.12.9.1
Museum
NMAAHC
Title Sort
DAPHNE MUSE ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEW
Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Metadata Usage
CC0
Date
2020s • 1940s
Name
University of California, Berkeley • Communist Party of the United States of America • Chambers, Candace Dane • Featherstone, Ralph • Magee, Ruchell "Cinque" • Northwestern University • Parks, Rosa Louise • Moore, Howard • Riddick, Natalie • Lawson, Jennifer • National Museum of African American History and Culture • Muse, Daphne • Du Bois, Shirley Graham • Drum and Spear Press • Davis, Angela Y. • McKinley Technology High School • Bontemps, Arnaud Wendell • Hutcherson, Trudy • Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee • Cobb, Charles E. • Fisk University • Federal Bureau of Investigation • Payne, William • Cox, Courtland • Howard University • Lumumba, Patrice Émery • Rodney, Walter
Place
District of Columbia • Harford County • Contra Costa County • Alameda County • United States • Bel Air • Tennessee • Brentwood • Berkeley • Nashville • California • San Rafael • Marin County • Washington • Davidson County • North and Central America • Maryland
Topic
Justice • Description and travel • Activism • Law • Literature • Social reform • Communities • Health • Segregation • Violence • HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) • Civil Rights • U.S. History, 1961-1969 • Youth • Museums • Black Power (Black Pride) • Prisons • Education • Correspondence • Civil rights • Motherhood • Urban life • U.S. History, 1969-2001
Culture
African Americans
Geo Location
City • Brentwood • County • Contra Costa County • State • California • Country • United States • Continent • North and Central America • City • Washington • State • District of Columbia • City • Bel Air • County • Harford County • State • Maryland • City • Nashville • County • Davidson County • State • Tennessee • City • San Rafael • County • Marin County • City • Berkeley • County • Alameda County
Type
Video recordings • digital media - born digital • Oral histories (document genres) • Interviews
Online Media Type
Video recordings
Online Media Rights
Copyright Owned

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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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.