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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...

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

Green coat worn by Oprah Winfrey as Sofia in The Color Purple

Date
1985
Designed by
Aggie Guerard Rodgers, American, born 1943
Manufactured by
Palace Costume Company, American, founded 1990
Worn by
Oprah Winfrey, American, born 1954
Subject of
Alice Walker, American, born 1944
Description
Green coat worn by Oprah Winfrey as the character Sofia Johnson in the film "The Color Purple." The full-length, long-sleeved, single-breasted coat is made from a dark green wool tweed plaid. The coat closes at the front with five (5) large round olive fabric-covered buttons that fasten using loops of black cord sewn to the edge of the proper right front. The front sides are turned open and stitched down near the and along the outer edges, making the button and loop closure non-functioning. A wide band of olive wool with stumpwork embroidery in olive rayon of a highly stylized leafy vine design is sewn around the front sides and around the collar, and is cut to follow the tapering of the turned front and the rounded notches at the turned collar. This same olive embroidered band is sewn around the cuff of both sleeves, which are also turned. The sleeves are slightly gathered using a length of the wool plaid attached at the exterior of each sleeve just above the cuff with two (2) round olive fabric-covered buttons, with the strips lined in green rayon. There are two (2) inset pockets, one on each exterior hip of the coat, with notched flaps made of the green plaid and light brown wool lining.
The coat is fully lined with a green cotton and rayon blend. There is a deep patch pocket made of the lining with an elastic top opening sewn to the interior proper right side of the coat. A long strip of black fabric is attached from shoulder to shoulder across the back neck of the coat, with long ends left loose. There is a barcode label adhered to the black strip at the center back neck with printed text above the barcode reading "PALACE COSTUME CO." and text below the barcode reading "37192643". A second label is sewn at the interior center back neck underneath the black strip made of off-white fabric with dark brown printed text reading "Palace Costume Co."
Place used
North Carolina, United States, North and Central America
California, United States, North and Central America
Topic
African American
Actors
Clothing and dress
Costume
Costume design
Design
Families
Film
Gender
LGBTQ
Literature
Sexuality
Violence
Women
See more items in
National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Classification
Clothing - Costume
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
2014.184.1.2
Type
coats
Restrictions & Rights
No Known Copyright Restrictions
Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
Medium
wool, cotton/rayon blend, elastic, and plastic buttons
Dimensions
H x W x D (On form): 55 3/4 × 26 × 19 in. (141.6 × 66 × 48.3 cm)
Title
Object Name • Green coat worn by Oprah Winfrey as Sofia in The Color Purple
Record ID
nmaahc_2014.184.1.2
Museum
NMAAHC
Title Sort
GREEN COAT WORN BY OPRAH WINFREY AS SOFIA IN THE COLOR PURPLE
Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Metadata Usage
CC0
Date
1980s
Name
Palace Costume Company • Winfrey, Oprah • Rodgers, Aggie Guerard • Walker, Alice
Place
North Carolina • United States • North and Central America • California
Topic
Design • Women • Literature • LGBTQ • Actors and actresses • Violence • Costume • Clothing and dress • Sexuality • Family • Motion pictures • Gender issues
Culture
African Americans
Geo Location
State • North Carolina • Country • United States • Continent • North and Central America • State • California
Type
Coats (garments)
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.

NMAAHC

Black dress worn by Oprah Winfrey as Sofia in The Color Purple

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

Flyer advertising the Black Expo at City Center Theater

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

Green coat worn by Oprah Winfrey as Sofia in The Color Purple

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

Robe and trunks worn by Denzel Washington as Rubin Carter in The Hurricane

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 Supreme Court case ruled state-sponsored public-school segregation unconstitutional?

Brown v. Board of Education in 1954.