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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...

The Violence That Helped Spark the NAACP

In August 1908, a white mob attacked Springfield, Illinois’s Black community, destroying homes and businesses and lynching two Black men. National outrage over the violence helped spur the movement that created the NAACP the following year.

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BHP gathered finds from its connected research sources. Showing the 4 strongest Black History matches.
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NMAAHC

Batouala

Date
1922
Published by
Thomas Seltzer Inc., 1919 - 1926
Written by
René Maran, French Guyanese, 1887 - 1960
Caption
Batouala paints a stunning portrait of the lives of an African tribe and the detrimental effects of the French regime on the tribe’s society. When René Maran, a French-Guyanese poet and novelist, published his debut novel, Batouala, in 1921, he did so with the intention of criticizing the French regime and their presence in Africa, but its effects were far more profound than expected. He would become the first novelist of African descent to be awarded the French Prix Goncourt, which at the time was the highest literary honor that a French author could receive. Various French critics expressed outrage about his award. Most expressed frustration with the idea that Maran was a black man challenging the status quo.
Description
A first edition of the novel Batouala by René Maran. The green hardcover book has gold lettering [BATOUALA / by / RENÉ / MARAN] in the top right corner. The interior of the book contains 207 pages of text. The back interior page has an inscription, by hand in pencil that reads: [2 /134]. The back of the cover is blank. The novel tells the story of Batoula, the leader, or mokoundji, of a small tribe of Bandas living in Gabon under French colonial rule during World War I. The book provides a study of Banda folklore and daily tribal life under an oppressive regime.
Place depicted
Gabon, Central Africa, Africa
Cultural Place
France, Europe
Topic
African American
Africa
African diaspora
Colonialism
Decolonization
Folklife
French colonialism
Literature
World War I
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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
2018.65
Type
hardcover books
Restrictions & Rights
Public domain
Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
Medium
ink on paper
Dimensions
H x W x D: 7 5/8 × 5 1/4 × 1 3/8 in. (19.4 × 13.3 × 3.5 cm)
Title
Title • Batouala
Record ID
nmaahc_2018.65
Museum
NMAAHC
Title Sort
BATOUALA
Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Metadata Usage
CC0
Date
1920s • 1914-1918
Name
Thomas Seltzer Inc. • Maran, René
Place
Gabon • Europe • Central Africa • France
Topic
African diaspora • WW I • Folklife • Literature • World War, 1914-1918 • Colonies • French colonialism • Decolonization
Culture
African Americans • Africans
Geo Location
Country • Gabon • Region • Central Africa • Continent • Africa • Country • France • Continent • Europe
Type
Hardcover books
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.

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NMAAHC

Black Room with Bitches Brew

Date: Date

Caption

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NMAAHC

Batouala

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Caption

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NMAAHC

Apotheose

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Description

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NMAAHC

Ébène: Essai

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

What prosperous Tulsa district became widely known as “Black Wall Street”?

The Greenwood District.