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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...

Ruler of the Mali Empire in the 14th century

Mansa Musa was the ruler of the Mali Empire in West Africa. Details recorded here should be sourced; unknown information is left blank.

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

Warm-up sweat suit for the 1952 Helsinki XV Olympics worn by Ted Corbitt

Date
1952
Manufactured by
Wilson Sporting Goods Co., American, founded 1914
Worn by
Ted Corbitt, American, 1919 - 2007
Caption
In the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki, Ted Corbitt became the first African American to compete in the Olympic marathon.
Description
.1) A navy blue sweatshirt with red and white details.
The sweatshirt has a spread collar and a gold colored metal quarter zipper at the neckline. The cuffs and the bottom of the sweatshirt are ribbed. They are red with two thin off white lines going around them. The front of the sweatshirt reads [USA] in red suede letters with an off white border. There are two yellowing white tags sewn inside the sweatshirt on the back collar. The small square tag on the proper right reads [36] in black thread. The rectangle tag on the proper left of the square tag has red and black text sewn into it. The edges of the tag are sticking up and some of the thread is coming loose. There are also yellow spots from age and brown spots from dirt. At the bottom of the tag there is a section that was torn off. It is greenish-blue around the edges. The text reads [Wilson / SPORTS EQUIPMENT / MADE IN U.S.A. / WIILSON / S(PO)RTING GOODS]. There is a rectangular white piece of cloth sewn onto the back near the top. It has faded black numbers which read [999]. The cloth is yellowing from age. There is navy blue fleece lining the sweatshirt.
.2) A pair of navy blue sweatpants with red and white details.
The navy sweatpants have a cinched elastic waistband and are cinched at the ankles as well. There are two white stripes going down the outer side of each pant leg. There is a red stripe in between the white stripes. There is a zipper going up the pant leg next to the outer white stripe. It goes around 6 inches up the leg starting at the ankle. The inside of the sweatpants is lined in navy fleece. There are two white tags sewn inside the sweatpants at the waist. The rectangle tag on the proper right side has red and black text sewn into it. The text reads [Wilson / SPORTS EQUIPMENT / MADE IN U.S.A. / WIILSON / SPORTING GOODS]. The small square tag on the proper left side reads [30] in black thread.
Place used
Helsinki, Uusimaa, Finland, Europe
Topic
African American
Clothing and dress
Olympics
Sports
Track and field
See more items in
National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Classification
Clothing - Sports Uniforms
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Gary Corbitt in memory of Ted Corbitt
Data Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Object number
2015.182.3.1-.2
Type
sweat pants
sweat shirts
sports uniforms
Restrictions & Rights
No Known Copyright Restrictions
Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
Medium
cotton, polyester, fleece, suede, metal, ink, elastic, and thread
Dimensions
H x W (.1 Warm-Up Jacket): 27 1/2 × 21 in. (69.9 × 53.3 cm)
H x W (.2 Warm-Up Sweatpants (folded)): 37 1/2 × 12 in. (95.3 × 30.5 cm)
H x W (.2 Warm-Up Sweatpants (open)): 37 1/2 × 17 in. (95.3 × 43.2 cm)
Title
Object Name • Warm-up sweat suit for the 1952 Helsinki XV Olympics worn by Ted Corbitt
Record ID
nmaahc_2015.182.3.1-.2
Museum
NMAAHC
Title Sort
WARM-UP SWEAT SUIT FOR THE 1952 HELSINKI XV OLYMPICS WORN BY TED CORBITT
Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Metadata Usage
CC0
Date
1950s
Name
Corbitt, Ted • Wilson Sporting Goods Co.
Place
Europe • Finland • Uusimaa • Helsinki
Topic
Track and field • Olympics • Clothing and dress • Sports
Culture
African Americans
Geo Location
City • Helsinki • State • Uusimaa • Country • Finland • Continent • Europe
Type
Sweat pants • sports uniforms • Sweat shirts
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.

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Black track suit pants worn by Melvin Van Peebles

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NMAAHC

Warm-up sweat suit for the 1952 Helsinki XV Olympics worn by Ted Corbitt

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Warm-up pants for Lockland Wayne High School basketball team

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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 heavyweight champion was known as the “Brown Bomber”?

Joe Louis.