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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...

Shirley Chisholm — Unbought and Unbossed

In 1968 Shirley Chisholm became the first Black woman elected to the United States Congress. In 1972 she launched a campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination, breaking another political barrier.

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

Postal Service plaque awarded to Melvin Van Peebles

Date
June 22, 2010
Manufactured by
Creative Framing, American
Issued by
United States Postal Service, American, founded 1775
Received by
Melvin Van Peebles, American, 1932 - 2021
Subject of
Oscar Micheaux, American, 1884 - 1951
Description
A United State Postal Service Oscar Micheaux First Day of Issue plaque presented to Melvin Van Peebles. The plaque is mounted inside a black frame with a light gray mat that has three individual windows. The largest window holds a stylized rectangular stamp honoring Oscar Micheaux. He has short, black hair, his skin has a blue-ish brown color and he’s staring slightly out of frame. He’s wearing a black suit jacket, black tie, and a gray and orange patterned sweater vest over a white dress shirt. Soft grayish brown text printed above his head reads [BLACK HERITAGE]. Five soft yellow spotlights are behind him against a black background. [OSCAR MICHEAUX] is printed vertically on the proper left in soft yellow text and [USA 44] is printed horizontally on the proper left in smaller yellow text. The Micheaux portrait stamp is bordered by a white scalloped edged against a black background. The date [2010] is printed small black text in the bottom left corner. Mounted at the bottom proper right is a small sheet of four identical Micheaux stamps. These stamps are smaller versions of the large central stamp. At the proper left is a small rectangular brass plate with rounded corners. There is engraved text across the center front that reads [PRESENTED TO / MELVIN VAN PEEBLES / OSCAR MICHEAUX / FIRST DAY ISSUE / UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE / NEW YORK, NY / JUNE 22, 2010. The plate is mounted on a cream-colored mat with inverse rounded corners. These are all mounted within an antique frame that have an inset concave band with vertical lines.
Tan paper covers the back of the frame, and a silver tone hanger wire has been attached to the top. Adhered to the bottom center of the back are two labels. The brown top label is a short paragraph of black text with cleaning instructions. Below that is a gold foil rectangular label with black text and graphics framing company’s name, address, phone number, web address, and a copyright warning. To the left of the text is the framer’s graphic logo; a stylized black frame with the text [CF] printed inside and the name of the company, [CREATIVE FRAMES] printed in stylized text below.
Place made
United States, North and Central America
Topic
African American
Actors
Musicians
See more items in
National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Collection title
Melvin Van Peebles Archive Collection
Classification
Awards, Medals, and Insignia
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
2024.60.26
Type
plaques (flat objects)
Restrictions & Rights
Unknown – Restrictions Possible
Rights assessment and proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
Medium
ink on paper (fiber product) with brass (alloy) , wood , glass , mat board and textile materials
Dimensions
H x W x D: 21 3/8 × 14 3/16 × 1 5/16 in. (54.3 × 36.1 × 3.3 cm)
Title
Object Name • Postal Service plaque awarded to Melvin Van Peebles
Record ID
nmaahc_2024.60.26
Museum
NMAAHC
Title Sort
POSTAL SERVICE PLAQUE AWARDED TO MELVIN VAN PEEBLES
Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Metadata Usage
CC0
Date
2010s
Name
Van Peebles, Melvin • Creative Framing • United States Postal Service • Micheaux, Oscar
Place
United States • North and Central America
Topic
Actors and actresses
Culture
African Americans
Geo Location
Country • United States • Continent • North and Central America
Type
Plaques (flat objects)
Online Media Type
Images
Online Media Rights
Unknown - Restrictions Possible

Media

Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture, Smithsonian Institution. Rights and restrictions shown above are supplied by the Smithsonian record.

NMAAHC

Company P 506th Engineer Service Battalion Camp Lee 1149 G

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

Certificate of service given to Percy Davis from the Pullman Palace Car Company

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Description

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NMAAHC

Service card of Pullman porter Percy Davis

Date: Date

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NMAAHC

Postal Service plaque awarded to Melvin Van Peebles

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.