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THE JOURNEY THROUGH TIME
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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

Bottle used to christen the S.S. Harriet Tubman

Date
June 3, 1944
Created by
Unidentified
Subject of
Harriet Tubman, American, 1822 - 1913
Eva Stewart Northrup, American, 1890 - 1964
New England Shipbuilding Corporation, American, 1943 - 1945
Description
The original christening bottle from the ceremonial launching of the Liberty ship SS Harriet Tubman. The glass bottle is wrapped in red, white, and blue silk and housed in a specially made oak box with a glass window. Screwed to the box is a metal plaque that reads [CHRISTENING BOTTLE / SS. HARRIET TUBMAN / MRS. E. S. NORTHRUP / SPONSOR / JUNE 3 1944 / NEW ENGLAND SHIPBUILDING CORPORATION / SOUTH PORTLAND MAINE]
Place used
South Portland, Cumberland County, Maine, United States, North and Central America
Topic
African American
Activism
Emancipation
Freedom
Self-liberation
Slavery
Social reform
Women
World War II
See more items in
National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Classification
Sacred and Ceremonial Objects
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Charles L. Blockson
Data Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Object number
2009.50.36
Type
bottles
Restrictions & Rights
No Known Copyright Restrictions
Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
Medium
silk (fiber) , glass , oak , metal
Dimensions
4 9/16 x 13 7/8 x 4 5/8 in. (11.6 x 35.2 x 11.7 cm)
Title
Object Name • Bottle used to christen the S.S. Harriet Tubman
Record ID
nmaahc_2009.50.36
Museum
NMAAHC
Title Sort
BOTTLE USED TO CHRISTEN THE S.S. HARRIET TUBMAN
Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Metadata Usage
CC0
Date
1940s • 1939-1945
Name
Northrup, Eva Stewart • New England Shipbuilding Corporation • Tubman, Harriet
Place
Cumberland County • South Portland • United States • Maine • North and Central America
Topic
Slavery • Women • Activism • WW II • Social reform • Self-liberation • Emancipation • Freedom • World War, 1939-1945
Culture
African Americans
Geo Location
City • South Portland • County • Cumberland County • State • Maine • Country • United States • Continent • North and Central America
Type
Bottles
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

Bottle used to christen the S.S. Harriet Tubman

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

Photographic postcard of Harriet Tubman's great nieces, Eva and Alida Stewart

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Description

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NMAAHC

On the S. S. Catalina

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NMAAHC

Ellen Stewart

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