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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

Orange dress with sash by Yves Saint Laurent

Date
1989
Designed by
Yves Saint Laurent, French, founded 1961
Used by
Ebony Fashion Fair, American, 1958 - 2009
Subject of
Johnson Publishing Company, American, 1942 - 2019
Description
Orange floral dress (a) with sash (b) by Yves Saint Laurent. The dress (a) has a high round neck with no collar, full-length tapered sleeves, and falls at the knee. It is gathered around the waistband to create a full skirt, with the gathered seam covered by the sash (b). There is a slit at the proper left front side of the skirt that reaches all the way to the waist seam, with fabric overlapping slightly. The dress is made from a wool and silk blend fabric with a floral design in red, orange, yellow, and metallic gold threads. It closes at the center back with four (4) large gold metal buttons and one (1) hook-and-eye at the top, and also at the proper left underarm along the side seam with five (5) metal snaps and two (2) metal hook-and-eyes. The tapered sleeves fit tight around the wearer's wrist, where they each close with an orange zipper. The dress is fully lined in orange silk crepe, except the sleeves which are not lined. Shoulder pads are sewn between the facing and the lining. A white fabric label with black and red embroidered text is sewn at the interior back proper left neck that reads "MADE IN FRANCE / Yves Saint Laurent / rive gauche / PARIS". A size tag and a fiber content tag are sewn to the bottom edge of the designer label.
The sash (b) is made from the same fabric as the dress. The fabric is pleated at each end to form a belt that is wider in the middle, which sits at the proper right side when the sash is closed. It fastens with six (6) metal hook-and-eyes at the proper left side. Two (2) long tails, one longer than the other, made from the same fabric folded in half lengthwise hang down below the sash on the proper left side. The sash is self-lined with stiffener sewn between the facing and lining around the waist band. A white fabric label with black and red embroidered text is sewn at the interior back proper left that reads "MADE IN FRANCE / Yves Saint Laurent / rive gauche / PARIS". A size tag and a fiber content tag are sewn to the bottom edge of the designer label.
Topic
African American
Clothing and dress
Design
Fashion
Fashion design
See more items in
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
2015.141.46ab
Type
dresses
sashes (costume accessories)
Restrictions & Rights
No known copyright restrictions
Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
Medium
a: wool and silk blend cloth, silk crepe, with metal and plastic fasteners;
b: wool and silk blend cloth, with metal fasteners
Dimensions
H x W (a flat): 42 3/4 × 19 in. (108.6 × 48.3 cm)
H x W (b flat): 28 1/2 × 42 in. (72.4 × 106.7 cm)
Title
Object Name • Orange dress with sash by Yves Saint Laurent
Record ID
nmaahc_2015.141.46ab
Museum
NMAAHC
Title Sort
ORANGE DRESS WITH SASH BY YVES SAINT LAURENT
Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Metadata Usage
CC0
Date
1980s
Name
Johnson Publishing Company • Yves Saint Laurent • Ebony Fashion Fair
Topic
Design • Clothing and dress • Fashion
Culture
African Americans
Type
Dresses (garments) • Sashes (costume accessories)
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

Green and blue dress with scarf by Yves Saint Laurent

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

Orange dress with sash by Yves Saint Laurent

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

Zebra print ensemble by Dolce & Gabbana and zebra beret by Yves Saint Laurent

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

Photograph of James Baldwin standing with the owner of his French home

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

Shirley Chisholm, elected in 1968.