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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

Singer sewing machine and table from Mae's Millinery Shop

Date
1956
Manufactured by
Singer Corporation, American, founded 1851
Owned by
Mae Reeves, American, 1912 - 2016
Subject of
Mae's Millinery Shop, American, 1941 - 1994
Description
Rectangular light tan wooden table with tapered legs and an electric sewing machine. The legs have metal tips. The front side panel of the table has a grooved rectangular pattern with two drawer pulls attached to it. The proper left side panel has a hinge on the front side to allow the panel to swing out and act as a support for the lid. Two halves of two metal hinges are attached at the proper right side of the table, though the hinged lid for the top is missing. The top of the table has a rectangular piece with round edges that is cut from the top and is hinged. The black Singer brand sewing machine is hinged at the back side so it can be stored underneath the table top. The machine has gold lettering across the horizontal arm that reads "SINGER" and an applied gold-colored ovular metal plate on the upright arm with the company's logo and a rectangular metal plate with the serial number "AM523565". The machine has a light and an electrical box attached to the back of the upright arm. Two electric cords protrude from the electrical box, with one end having a two-pronged plug and the other end having a metal rectangular foot pedal.
Place collected
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, North and Central America
Topic
African American
Black Enterprise
Business
Labor
Millinery
Women
See more items in
National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Collection title
Mae's Millinery Shop Collection
Classification
Tools and Equipment
Exhibition
Power of Place
On View
NMAAHC (1400 Constitution Ave NW), National Mall Location, Community/Third Floor, 3 051
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Mae Reeves and her children, Donna Limerick and William Mincey, Jr.
Data Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Object number
2013.27.1
Type
sewing machines (equipment)
Restrictions & Rights
No Known Copyright Restrictions
Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
Medium
metal and wood
Dimensions
H x W x D: 39 1/4 × 24 13/16 × 17 1/16 in., 46 lb. (99.7 × 63 × 43.3 cm, 20.9 kg)
Title
Object Name • Singer sewing machine and table from Mae's Millinery Shop
Record ID
nmaahc_2013.27.1
Museum
NMAAHC
Title Sort
SINGER SEWING MACHINE AND TABLE FROM MAE'S MILLINERY SHOP
Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Metadata Usage
CC0
Date
1950s
Name
Singer Corporation • Mae's Millinery Shop • Reeves, Mae
Place
United States • North and Central America • Philadelphia • Pennsylvania
Topic
Women • Black Enterprise • Millinery • Labor unions • Business
Culture
African Americans
Exhibition
NMAAHC • Power of Place
Geo Location
City • Philadelphia • State • Pennsylvania • Country • United States • Continent • North and Central America
Type
sewing machines (equipment)
On Physical Exhibit
Yes
Online Media Type
Images
Online Media Rights
No Known Copyright Restrictions

Media

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

NMAAHC

Singer treadle sewing machine cabinet table from the Rock Rest Tourist Home

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

Singer model 66 treadle sewing machine and motor from the Rock Rest Tourist Home

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

Singer sewing machine and table from Mae's Millinery Shop

Date: Date

Description

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No preview image
NMAAHC

Singer sewing machine used by Yvonne DeVigne

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

What prosperous Tulsa district became widely known as “Black Wall Street”?

The Greenwood District.