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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

Cellphone video of Councilwoman Sharon Middleton at 300 Men March rally

Date
May 1, 2015
Recorded by
Aaron Bryant, American
Subject of
300 Men March, American, founded 2013
Sharon Green Middleton, American, born 1954
Munir Bahar, American
Freddie Gray, American, 1990 - 2015
Unidentified Man or Men
Unidentified Woman or Women
Description
A digital video of Councilwoman Sharon Middleton speaking at a 300 Men March rally in Baltimore, Maryland. The video was captured using a cellphone and has color and sound. The footage opens with 300 Men March leader Munir Bahar standing in front of a group of people. He, like many of the individuals in the crowd, wears a black T-shirt with [300 MEN MARCH] printed on the front in large white letters. On the back of the shirts, [we must /stop killing / each other] is printed in lowercase white letters. Mr. Bahar also wears a white long-sleeve Under Armor shirt underneath his 300 Men March shirt and a black baseball cap. After futilely asking some of the individuals immediately surrounding him for another megaphone, he holds up his megaphone and says to the crowd, "Can you all hear me?...This is as loud as it gets." He then introduces the Councilwoman for the neighborhood, Sharon Green Middleton, who joins him on the platform; the crowd applauds upon her arrival.
Councilwoman Middleton then reports to the group that the past few weeks have been a learning lesson and that the moment shows how they can come together as a group. She thanks the 300 Men March and the crowd applauds. She says they have been sending a strong message and that “we have to stop killing each other.” As she says this, the camera pans 360 degrees, revealing members of the audience applauding and holding up signs that read [we must / stop killing / each other]. She implores men to become involved; thanks her "colleague Brandon Scott," to which the crowd applauds and one person can be overheard saying “that young black guy, though;” and tells the crowd that they will be the example and this day will mark the start of it. Toward the end of the speech, she mentions that they will give out prayers to the Freddie Gray family and that she feels God on the block with them.
Place captured
Baltimore, Maryland, United States, North and Central America
Topic
African American
Activism
Associations and institutions
Justice
Police brutality
Politics
Resistance
Social reform
U.S. History, 2001-
See more items in
National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Classification
Time-based Media - Moving Images
Movement
Black Lives Matter
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Aaron Bryant
Data Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Object number
2021.76.1
Type
digital media - born digital
sound films
color films (visual works)
Restrictions & Rights
© Aaron Bryant
Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
Medium
digital
Dimensions
Duration: 00:04:18
Total: 529 MB
Title
Object Name • Cellphone video of Councilwoman Sharon Middleton at 300 Men March rally
Record ID
nmaahc_2021.76.1
Museum
NMAAHC
Title Sort
CELLPHONE VIDEO OF COUNCILWOMAN SHARON MIDDLETON AT 300 MEN MARCH RALLY
Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Metadata Usage
CC0
Date
2010s
Name
Bryant, Aaron • 300 Men March • Middleton, Sharon Green • Gray, Freddie • Bahar, Munir
Place
Baltimore • United States • North and Central America • Maryland
Topic
Justice • Resistance • Activism • Police brutality • Social reform • Black Lives Matter • Associations and institutions • Politics • U.S. History, 2001-
Culture
African Americans
Geo Location
City • Baltimore • State • Maryland • Country • United States • Continent • North and Central America
Type
color films (visual works) • digital media - born digital • sound films
Online Media Rights
Limited Use

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

Black fringe dress worn on Soul Train by dancer Sharon Hill

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

Pinback button for DC mayoral candidate Sharon Pratt Dixon

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

Studio Portrait of Sharon Kaye Wilson Edwards

Date: Date

Caption

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No preview image
NMAAHC

Cellphone video of Councilwoman Sharon Middleton at 300 Men March rally

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.