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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

Photographic postcards of Ezel Adams and Johnell Perkins

Date
1924-1949
Manufactured by
Unidentified
Photograph by
Unidentified
Subject of
Ezel Adams
Johnell Perkins, American, born 1905
Description
Two sepia toned photographs of Ezel Adams (2014.37.36.4a) and Johnell Perkins (2014.37.36.4b) mounted in a double-sided gray paper photo frame (2014.37.36.4c).
2014.37.36.4a: A sepia toned photograph of Ezel Adams, taken in Marshall, Texas, September 1922. The image is in a portrait orientation. Adams is depicted seated, from the waist up, facing the viewer. He has a serious expression on his face. He is wearing a light-toned suit and a white shirt with a round collar. He is also wearing a straw boater hat with a dark band around the brim. Behind him is an exterior window and the wall of a clapboard house. The image has a white border. The reverse has a landscape orientation with black ink text [POST CARD] written in outlined letters across the top. Below are sections for [CORRESPONDENCE] on the left, and [ADDRESS] on the right. At the top right is an AZO stamp box. The postcard is blank.
2014.37.36.4b: A sepia toned photograph of Johnell Perkins, taken in Elysian Fields, Texas, September 1927. The postcard depicts Perkins, in a field, seated on a light colored horse. Perkins and the horse are in three quarters profile at the center of the postcard. Perkins wears a light-toned, short sleeved, button down shirt, light-toned trousers, and a wide brimmed hat, tipped slightly to one side. His feet rest inside the saddle stirrups and he holds the reins to his chest with his proper right hand. His proper left hand rests on the saddle. In the left foreground, wooden beams and logs rest on the ground. The field is covered with brush and in the background is a line of trees. The image has a white border. The reverse has a landscape orientation with black ink text [POST CARD] written in outlined letters across the top. Below are sections for [CORRESPONDENCE] on the left, and [ADDRESS] on the right. At the top right is an AZO stamp box. The postcard is blank.
2014.37.36.4c: A gray paper photo frame. The frame is constructed from two pieces of heavy cardstock attached together to form a pocket holder. There are windows on each side of the pocket that display two photographic postcards (2014.37.36.4ab). The rectangular windows are framed by two thin blue lines. The front of the frame has black handwritten text that identifies the subject of 2014.37.36.4a that reads [Mr. Ezel Adams / Marshall Tex. / Sept 1922]. In the top right corner is the price, [40- / (see over), in pencil. The back of the frame has black handwritten text that identifies the subject of 2014.37.36.4b that reads [Mr. Johnell Perkins / Elysian Fields Tex. / Sept 1927.].
Place captured
Elysian Fields, Harrison County, Texas, United States, North and Central America
Marshall, Harrison County, Texas, United States, North and Central America
Topic
African American
American West
Photography
See more items in
National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Classification
Memorabilia and Ephemera - Other
Photographs and Still Images
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
2014.37.36.4abc
Type
photographs
portraits
Restrictions & Rights
No known copyright restrictions
Rights assessment and proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
Medium
silver and photographic gelatin on photographic paper on paper (fiber product) with adhesive
Dimensions
H x W (2014.37.36.4a): 4 13/16 × 3 7/16 in. (12.2 × 8.8 cm)
H x W (2014.37.36.4b): 3 7/16 × 5 in. (8.7 × 12.7 cm)
H x W x D (2014.37.36.4c): 6 13/16 × 5 5/8 × 1/16 in. (17.3 × 14.3 × 0.1 cm)
Title
Object Name • Photographic postcards of Ezel Adams and Johnell Perkins
Record ID
nmaahc_2014.37.36.4abc
Museum
NMAAHC
Title Sort
PHOTOGRAPHIC POSTCARDS OF EZEL ADAMS AND JOHNELL PERKINS
Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Metadata Usage
CC0
Date
1920s • 1940s
Name
Adams, Ezel • Perkins, Johnell
Place
Harrison County • United States • Elysian Fields • Texas • North and Central America • Marshall
Topic
Photography • American West
Culture
African Americans
Geo Location
City • Elysian Fields • County • Harrison County • State • Texas • Country • United States • Continent • North and Central America • City • Marshall
Type
Portraits • Photographs
Online Media Type
Images
Online Media Rights
Unknown - Restrictions Possible

Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture, Smithsonian Institution. Rights and restrictions shown above are supplied by the Smithsonian record.

NMAAHC

Silver badge for George Washington Perkins of the 54th Massachusetts Infantry

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Description

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NMAAHC

Pinetop Perkins, 1988

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Description

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NMAAHC

Photographic postcards of Ezel Adams and Johnell Perkins

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

Bible given to Perkins William Dennis

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 heavyweight champion was known as the “Brown Bomber”?

Joe Louis.