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HIDDEN TRUTHS
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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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...

Wilmington 1898 — An American Coup

Wilmington, North Carolina once had a thriving Black middle class and an elected interracial government. In 1898 white supremacists used violence to overthrow that government, kill Black residents and drive many others from the city.

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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 the Ensemble of Harlem Uproar House

Date
1937
Photograph by
Unidentified
Subject of
Laura Cathrell, 1914 - 1999
Unidentified Woman or Women
Harlem Uproar House, American
Description
A silver gelatin print depicting a black-and-white image of a group of eleven (11) women wearing matching costumes and posing on stage. Each woman is wearing a large bow on her head, cropped tops with puffed sleeves, and ruffled skirts that open at the front. One (1) woman is seated on a two-tiered platform at the center of the image. Two (2) women stand behind her, while the remaining women stand on either side of the platform, four (4) on each side. Each woman is holding her skirt out to the side and smiling. Inscribed within the white border at the top, in blue ink, is the text, [To Laurie.. May the sky be your limit, Iris]. Handwritten in black ink over the curtain at the top right of the image is text that reads, [The Ladies of the “Ensemble" / Harlem Uproar House / Season "37" / N.Y.C.] The name [Lauri] is written across the chest of one of the women. The remainder of the inscriptions are written across the bottom of the page and are written in blue ink by different hands: [To Lauri / Cappie / “Dee[?]” / To Laurie - I met / you in a / uproar (solid) / Jeanne / Martine / To Lauri / From Thelma / To Lauri / Always rembir[?] the / "Uproar House" / C[---?]th[---?] / To Lauri my [---?] / Friend (Bah) Cappie / “Bu” / To Lauri / From "Pidgie" / (Vivian Garnett) / "Ethyl Love" / To "Laurie" From Eva / To Homey / from Lula / Doris Dawson / To My Lauri / remember that / fun blue crock / (smiles) / Sincerely / Nonie]. There is an inscription in pencil on the back.
Transcription Center Status
Transcribed by digital volunteers
Place captured
New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America
Topic
African American
Dance
Entertainers
Jazz (Music)
Nightlife
Photography
Theatre
See more items in
National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Collection title
The Laura Cathrell Show-Down Magazine 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
2013.46.25.3
Type
gelatin silver prints
portraits
Restrictions & Rights
Unknown - Restrictions Possible
Rights assessment and proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
Medium
silver and photographic gelatin on photographic paper
Dimensions
H x W (Image): 7 3/8 × 9 5/16 in. (18.7 × 23.7 cm)
H x W (Sheet): 7 15/16 × 9 7/8 in. (20.2 × 25.1 cm)
Title
Object Name • Photograph of the Ensemble of Harlem Uproar House
Record ID
nmaahc_2013.46.25.3
Museum
NMAAHC
Title Sort
PHOTOGRAPH OF THE ENSEMBLE OF HARLEM UPROAR HOUSE
Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Metadata Usage
CC0
Date
1930s
Name
Harlem Uproar House • Cathrell, Laura
Place
New York City • United States • North and Central America
Topic
Nightlife • Photography • Theatre • Dance • Entertainers • Jazz (Music)
Culture
African Americans
Geo Location
City • New York City • State • New York • Country • United States • Continent • North and Central America
Type
Portraits • Photographs
Online Media Type
Images
Online Media Rights
Unknown - Restrictions Possible

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

Memo from the House That Jazz Built

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

Newsletter for The House That Jazz Built

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

Photograph of the Ensemble of Harlem Uproar House

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

Film clips from the documentary American Music - From Folk to Jazz and Pop

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.