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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...

Wilmington 1898 — An American Coup

Wilmington, North Carolina once had a thriving Black middle class and an elected interracial government. In 1898 white supremacists used violence to overthrow that government, kill Black residents and drive many others from the city.

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

Brown leather jacket and sequin pants by Byron Lars

Date
ca. 2000
Description
Distressed brown leather jacket (.1) and brown sequin pants (.2) by Byron Lars.
The jacket (.1) is made from distressed brown leather with textured brown leather panels at the collar, at the center front below the chest line and at the center back below the shoulders. It is fitted in the body and short, with slightly longer pointed front sides and a center point in the back. It has a standing collar and full-length straight sleeves. The jacket closes at the center front with a gold-toned zipper that begins at the natural waist, so that the bottom part of the jacket front does not close. The collar is decorated with rows of gold colored geometric textured beads and bands of exposed zippers. Each sleeve cuff closes with a gold metal zipper. Two (2) zippers are sewn at each front waist and at each front hip, for a total of four sets of two zippers. Each set opens a pocket, meaning there are four total pockets, each pocket with two zipper openings. The jacket is fully lined in brown satin. A white fabric label with black embroidered text reading "Byron Lars / NEW YORK" is sewn at the interior center back neck. A size tag is sewn to the bottom of it. A fiber content and care tag are sewn at the interior proper left side seam near the waist.
The pants (.2) are high-waisted and slim in the tapered ankle-length legs. There is no waistband and they close at the center back with a zipper and one (1) hook-and-eye. They are made from tan polyester that is completely covered in sequins arranged in colors of clear, rust, brown, and tan to create the look of snake skin. The pants are not lined. A wide band of elastic faced in the tan polyester is sewn around the interior waist. A white fabric label with black embroidered text reading "Byron Lars / NEW YORK" is sewn at the interior proper right back waist. A size tag and a fiber content and care tag are sewn below it.
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National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Collection title
Ebony Fashion Fair Collection
Classification
Clothing - Fashion and Historical
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
2015.141.10.1-.2
Type
jackets
trousers
Restrictions & Rights
No known copyright restrictions
Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
Medium
jacket: leather with metal zippers;
pants: polyester, sequins, and elastic
Dimensions
H x W (.1 flat): 30 1/2 × 19 in. (77.5 × 48.3 cm)
H x W (.2 flat): 44 × 17 in. (111.8 × 43.2 cm)
Title
Object Name • Brown leather jacket and sequin pants by Byron Lars
Record ID
nmaahc_2015.141.10.1-.2
Museum
NMAAHC
Title Sort
BROWN LEATHER JACKET AND SEQUIN PANTS BY BYRON LARS
Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Metadata Usage
CC0
Date
2000s • 1990s
Online Media Rights
No Known Copyright Restrictions

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

Poems by Lord Byron with Illustrations

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

Brown leather jacket and sequin pants by Byron Lars

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

Photograph of Sun-Reporter Political Forum participants and organizers

Date: Date

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NMAAHC

Photograph of San Francisco Sun-Reporter Political Forum participants

Date: Date

Caption

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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.