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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

Press release announcing the formation of Black Entertainment Television

Date
August 29, 1979
Written by
Unidentified
Owned by
Robert L. Johnson, American, born 1946
Subject of
BET Holdings, Inc., American, founded 1980
Description
2020.16.6ab: A press release and folder from August 29, 1979 announcing the formation of Black Entertainment Television (BET) by Robert L. Johnson.
2020.16.6a: A press release from August 29, 1979 announcing the formation of Black Entertainment Television (BET) by Robert L. Johnson. The five page document includes: a four page press release and a fifth page with a short biography of Johnson. The press release is printed on cream colored paper with primarily black text. At the top of the first page is dark red, styled text that reads [BLACK ENTERTAINMENT / TELEVISION] with the press release date and contact information for Johnson printed below on the right. Printed below the contact information is the title of the press release printed in black underlined text that reads [BLACK CABLE/SATELLITE NETWORK FORMED] with four paragraphs of text printed below. The press release announces that Johnson, the Vice President for Government Relations For the National Cable Television Association (NCTA), would be leaving his position to form BET. The press release also announces a partnership with UA-Columbia to transmit the network via it’s Madison Square Garden Network. The fifth page is titled [Robert Johnson / Biographical Sketch] in black, centered underlined text. Printed below are three short paragraphs of Johnson’s career at NTCA beginning in 1976, his work prior to NTCA, and his education. The backside of the biography is blank. The document is stapled in the top left corner with a single metal staple.
2020.16.6b: A folder for the press release from August 29, 1979 announcing the formation of Black Entertainment Television (BET) by Robert L. Johnson. The black, paper pocket folder features gold text and graphics on the front. Printed at the top is [BLACK ENTERTAINMENT/ TELEVISION] printed in justified text. The text is emphasized with an embossed scribble below. The logo for BET is printed diagonally across the bottom half of the folder: large, stylized text that reads [BET] with a five pointed star printed in negative space forming the straight edge of the letter [B]. Text is framed above and below with diagonal lines of small, gold diamonds. The back of the folder is plain and black with a small BET logo printed along the center left edge next to the address and the text [THE URBAN CONTEMPORARY CHANNEL] printed below. The interior is white with two black pockets.
Place collected
Bethesda, Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, North and Central America
Place printed
Washington, District of Columbia, United States, North and Central America
Topic
African American
Athletes
Basketball
Black Enterprise
Business
Sports
Television
See more items in
National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Classification
Documents and Manuscripts
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Robert L. Johnson, Founder of Black Entertainment Television (BET) and First African American Majority Owner of a National Basketball Association Team, The Charlotte Bobcats
Data Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Object number
2020.16.6ab
Restrictions & Rights
No known copyright restrictions
Rights assessment and proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
Medium
ink on paper (fiber product) with metal
Dimensions
H x W x D (press release): 11 × 8 7/16 × 1/16 in. (28 × 21.5 × 0.1 cm)
H x W x D (folder closed): 11 15/16 × 9 × 1/8 in. (30.4 × 22.8 × 0.3 cm)
H x W x D (folder open): 11 15/16 × 18 1/16 × 1/16 in. (30.4 × 45.8 × 0.2 cm)
Title
Object Name • Press release announcing the formation of Black Entertainment Television
Record ID
nmaahc_2020.16.6ab
Museum
NMAAHC
Title Sort
PRESS RELEASE ANNOUNCING THE FORMATION OF BLACK ENTERTAINMENT TELEVISION
Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Metadata Usage
CC0
Date
1970s
Name
Johnson, Robert L. • BET Holdings, Inc.
Place
District of Columbia • United States • North and Central America • Montgomery County • Bethesda • Maryland • Washington
Topic
Black Enterprise • Television • Athletes • Basketball • Business • Sports
Culture
African Americans
Geo Location
City • Bethesda • County • Montgomery County • State • Maryland • Country • United States • Continent • North and Central America • City • Washington • State • District of Columbia
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.

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NMAAHC

Press release announcing the formation of Black Entertainment Television

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Ravers: The Black Rock Coalition Arts Magazine: Winter 1994

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Black Enterprise, Volume 1, No. 10

Date: Date

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Black Enterprise, Volume 4, No. 1

Date: Date

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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 Black woman became the first elected to the United States Congress?

Shirley Chisholm, elected in 1968.