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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...

Katherine Johnson — Mathematics to the Moon

Katherine Johnson’s mathematical calculations helped guide some of America’s most important early space missions while she confronted the racial and gender barriers faced by Black women in twentieth-century America.

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

The Exodus: An Appeal to the Philanthropic People of the North for Aid and Sympathy

Date
November 15, 1879
Created by
Emigrant Aid Society, American, founded 1878
Written by
John Wesley Cromwell, American, 1846 - 1927
Description
An essay written and released by member of the Office of the Emigrant Aid Society of Washington, D.C., on November 15, 1879, titled "The Exodus: An Appeal to the Philanthropic People of the North for Aid and Sympathy." It is printed on a single sheet folded in half vertically to form four pages with black printed text hand underlined in black ink, and an additional section handwritten in pencil by John Wesley Cromwell after the printed text on the third page. The title is printed near the top of the front page. The essay concerns issues facing freed people living in the South in the years after the American Civil War and the passage of the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments. The writers note that efforts in the South, mainly by politicians of the Democratic Party, seek to or have already limited the rights of freed people guaranteed under these new amendments. The society notes that as a result of these circumstances many people are moving westward. The society seeks donations to assist migrants. Names of society members are printed at the end of the essay. Cromwell, a member of the society, wrote in pencil on the third page regarding the civil rights of African Americans. The fourth page is blank.
Transcription Center Status
Transcribed by digital volunteers
Place made
Washington, District of Columbia, United States, North and Central America
Topic
African American
American South
American West
Emancipation
Justice
Law
Migrations
Politics
Reconstruction, U.S. History, 1865-1877
Social reform
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National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Classification
Slavery and Freedom Objects
Documents and Manuscripts
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
2014.63.27
Type
essays
Restrictions & Rights
Public domain
Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
Medium
ink and graphite on paper
Dimensions
H x W (closed): 11 1/8 × 8 in. (28.3 × 20.3 cm)
Title
Title • The Exodus: An Appeal to the Philanthropic People of the North for Aid and Sympathy
Record ID
nmaahc_2014.63.27
Museum
NMAAHC
Title Sort
THE EXODUS: AN APPEAL TO THE PHILANTHROPIC PEOPLE OF THE NORTH FOR AID AND SYMPATHY
Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Metadata Usage
CC0
Date
1870s
Name
Emigrant Aid Society • Cromwell, John Wesley
Place
District of Columbia • United States • North and Central America • Washington
Topic
Justice • American South • Law • Social reform • American West • Migrations • Politics • Reconstruction, U.S. History, 1865-1877 • Emancipation
Culture
African Americans
Geo Location
City • Washington • State • District of Columbia • Country • United States • Continent • North and Central America
Type
Essays
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

Pin for Rutgers Living History Society

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Description

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NMAAHC

New England Loyal Publication Society No. 147

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NMAAHC

Digital illustration of the Black Disabled Lives Matter Solidarity Fist symbol

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NMAAHC

The Exodus: An Appeal to the Philanthropic People of the North for Aid and Sympathy

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

Who was the first African-American woman millionaire in the United States?

Madam C.J. Walker