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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

Blue silk gown by Emanuel Ungaro

Date
1993-1994
Designed by
Emanuel Ungaro, French, born 1933
Used by
Ebony Fashion Fair, American, 1958 - 2009
Subject of
Johnson Publishing Company, American, 1942 - 2019
Description
Iridescent blue micro-pleated blue silk gown by Emanuel Ungaro. The gown is constructed to look as if the wearer's body is draped and wrapped in the fabric, with a wide ruffled collar around the top. The body of the dress has a one-shouldered diagonal strap across the proper right shoulder to the proper left back side with three (3) self-fabric roses attached to it. The skirt extends straight to the knee where it is turned and hemmed. A panel of fabric is then pleated and sewn at the proper left side bottom edge of the skirt and wrapped around the body with the opposite side also pleated and sewn at the proper left side skirt. The panel creates a floor-length flowing skirt with a rounded slit at the proper left side and a long train that ends in an asymmetrical point. A self-fabric pre-tied bow with long tails is sewn at the top of the slit. Three panels of fabric reach diagonally across the body and skirt of the fabric. The bottom one is sewn into place just above the bow. The middle one wraps from the proper left side behind the body, then across the front and over to the proper left back side waist where it fastens with three (3) hook-and-eyes. The top panel of fabric wraps from the proper left side behind the body, then across the front and over to the proper left back upper bodice where it fastens with three (3) hook-and-eyes. Each of these panels is lined with black net. The dress closes at the proper left side with a zipper, one (1) hook-and-eye), and one (1) snap. The wide pleated collar begins at the proper left front side and wraps around the shoulders and neck clockwise to create three (3) tiers of the pleated fabric ruffles. They attach together with a series of snaps that are hidden by the layers from the facing side.
The main body of the dress from the bodice to the knee is lined in navy blue silk. There is a self-fabric interior waistband that fastens with one (1) large metal hook-and-eye. A hanger loop made from the lining is sewn at the interior proper right side bodice, with a rip at the proper left side indicating a likely missing loop. A cream fabric label with black embroidered text is sewn at the interior center back bodice that reads "COUTURE PARIS / EMANUEL UNGARO". A label is sewn to its bottom edge containing size, style, and fiber content information handwritten on a pre-printed tag. Stiffener is sewn inside the pleated collar.
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
2015.141.16
Type
evening dresses
Restrictions & Rights
No known copyright restrictions
Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
Medium
silk with metal fasteners
Dimensions
H x W (flat): 82 1/4 × 30 1/2 in. (208.9 × 77.5 cm)
Title
Object Name • Blue silk gown by Emanuel Ungaro
Record ID
nmaahc_2015.141.16
Museum
NMAAHC
Title Sort
BLUE SILK GOWN BY EMANUEL UNGARO
Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Metadata Usage
CC0
Date
1990s
Name
Johnson Publishing Company • Ungaro, Emanuel • Ebony Fashion Fair
Topic
Design • Clothing and dress • Fashion
Culture
African Americans
Type
Dresses (garments)
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

Wristband commemorating massacre at Emanuel AME Church

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Caption

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NMAAHC

Wristband commemorating massacre at Emanuel AME Church

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Caption

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NMAAHC

Blue silk gown by Emanuel Ungaro

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

Black Poetry: a Supplement to Anthologies Which Exclude Black Poets

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