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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

Photograph of Marley Marl, Lyor Cohen, Hank Shocklee, and Fran Spero

Date
ca. 1989
Photograph by
Michael Benabib, American, born 1962
Subject of
Marley Marl, American, born 1962
Lyor Cohen, Israeli American, born 1959
Hank Shocklee, American
Francesca Spero, American, 1959 - 2014
Description
A color photograph of Marly Marl, Lyor Cohen, Hank Shocklee, and Fran Spero.
In the top image Marly Marl is on the proper right side. He has a goatee and is wearing a black jacket. Hank Shocklee is on the left side. He is wearing a black shirt, a grey and black jacket with a white perfume bottle logo on it, and a gold cross necklace. He has a mustache. Hank and Marly Marl and shaking hands and are facing the camera.
In the bottom image Marly Marl is on the proper right side. He is wearing a black jacket and has a goatee. He is smiling wide with his mouth open and is looking at Lyor Cohen. Cohen is wearing a black suit, a grey button down shirt, and a tie. He is holding a drink and a green napkin in his proper left hand and his holding up his right middle finger. Hank Shocklee is standing next to him. He is wearing the same outfit as the top image. He is holding u his proper right pointer finger. Fran Spero is on the proper left side. She is wearing a black dress with sheer sleeves and long diamond earrings. She is looking at the three men. There is a white pole with a strand of yellow lights wrapped around it in the background.
There is a white border around the image. it is thinner on the two sides and thicker on the top and bottom. The back of the photograph has light grey text repeated in diagonal lines. There are three inscription by Bill Adler, all handwritten in black ink.
Topic
African American
Gesture
Hip-hop (Music)
Musicians
Photography
See more items in
National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Collection title
Eyejammie Hip-Hop Photography Collection
Classification
Photographs and Still Images
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
2015.132.99
Type
portraits
inkjet prints
Restrictions & Rights
© Michael Benabib
Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
Medium
ink on paper
Dimensions
H x W (Sheet): 16 1/16 × 10 15/16 in. (40.8 × 27.8 cm)
H x W (Overall Image): 14 × 10 in. (35.5 × 25.4 cm)
H x W (Top Image): 6 3/4 × 10 in. (17.1 × 25.4 cm)
H x W (Bottom Image): 7 1/16 × 10 in. (18 × 25.4 cm)
Title
Object Name • Photograph of Marley Marl, Lyor Cohen, Hank Shocklee, and Fran Spero
Record ID
nmaahc_2015.132.99
Museum
NMAAHC
Title Sort
PHOTOGRAPH OF MARLEY MARL, LYOR COHEN, HANK SHOCKLEE, AND FRAN SPERO
Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Metadata Usage
CC0
Date
1990s • 1980s
Name
Marley Marl • Shocklee, Hank • Cohen, Lyor • Spero, Francesca • Benabib, Michael
Topic
Photography • Hip-hop (Music) • Gesture
Culture
African Americans
Type
Portraits • Photographs
Online Media Type
Images
Online Media Rights
Use Restricted

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

Fab 5 Freddy and Hank Shocklee

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

Photograph of Marley Marl, Lyor Cohen, Hank Shocklee, and Fran Spero

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

Hank Shocklee on his Magnificent Music Machine, Hofstra U.

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

Photograph of Hank Pennington

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 became the first Black woman to travel into space?

Mae Jemison, aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour in 1992.