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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 3 strongest Black History matches.
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NMAAHC

Cab Calloway Home Movie: Haiti

Date
1951
Created by
Cab Calloway, American, 1907 - 1994
Subject of
Presidential Palace, Haitian
Holy Trinity Cathedral, Haitian, founded 1924
Caption
16mm silent color film shot by Cab Calloway during his 1951 tour in Haiti. This film features footage of Cab Calloway and his band performing on an outdoor stage, the local townspeople, a local Haitian pottery market, and the Presidential Palace and Holy Trinity Cathedral in Port-au-Prince.
Description
This silent, color, home movie was shot by Cab Calloway while on a music tour in Haiti in 1951. It consists of an original 16mm film strip (a) on an original 100-foot film reel (b) and is housed in an original 100-foot film box (c).
The film begins with footage of Cab Calloway and his band onstage playing. The band consists of a piano player, a brass section, a bass player, and a drummer in addition to Calloway. They appear to be ending a performance. The next scene shows the same stage, with a different band playing. This band has a percussion section with maracas, a drum and two other percussion instruments. There is also a guitar player. The next scene shows three people in front of a stage with a colorful background. The woman in the middle appears to be Nuffie Calloway, Cab Calloway's wife. The camera then pans to a seating area and some men setting up tables. The next scene is shot from a mountain overlooking a city. There is footage of four children and a man in front of a building, and footage of a marketplace with people selling objects carved from wood. The next scene shows a bust of Toussaint L'Ouverture on a column with another statue below the bust reaching up to it. The next scene shows the exterior of the Presidential Palace in Port-au-Prince as well as a busy street scene. The film concludes with footage of the exterior of Holy Trinity Cathedral, and the sign with the name of the church and schedule of services in English and French.
An original 100-foot cardboard film box (2013.237.20.1c). The cardboard box is brown and has a handwritten address and a postal stamp on the back.
Place filmed
Port-au-Prince, Ouest, Haiti, Caribbean, Latin America, North and Central America
Topic
African American
Actors
Composers (Musicians)
Conductors (Musicians)
Singers (Musicians)
Travel
See more items in
National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Collection title
The Cabell “Cab” Calloway III Collection
Classification
Time-based Media - Moving Images
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Cabella Calloway Langsam
Data Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Object number
2013.237.20.1abc
Type
silent films
home movies
16mm (photographic film size)
Restrictions & Rights
© Cabella Calloway Langsam
Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
Medium
acetate film with metal and cardboard
Dimensions
Length: 122 Feet
Duration (digital file): 4 min., 6 sec.
Title
Title • Cab Calloway Home Movie: Haiti
Record ID
nmaahc_2013.237.20.1abc
Museum
NMAAHC
Title Sort
CAB CALLOWAY HOME MOVIE: HAITI
Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Metadata Usage
CC0
Date
1950s
Name
Holy Trinity Cathedral • Calloway, Cab • Presidential Palace
Place
Haiti • North and Central America • Port-au-Prince • Caribbean • Ouest • Latin America
Topic
Description and travel • Actors and actresses • Conductors (Musicians) • Composers (Musicians) • Singers (Musicians)
Culture
African Americans
Geo Location
City • Port-au-Prince • State • Ouest • Country • Haiti • Subregion • Caribbean • Region • Latin America • Continent • North and Central America
Type
silent films • 16mm (photographic film size) • Home movies
Online Media Rights
Limited Use

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

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NMAAHC

Cab Calloway Home Movie: Haiti

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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.