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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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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...

Shirley Chisholm — Unbought and Unbossed

In 1968 Shirley Chisholm became the first Black woman elected to the United States Congress. In 1972 she launched a campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination, breaking another political barrier.

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

Rythm Mastr: Tower of Power

Date
1999-2000
Illustrated by
Kerry James Marshall, American, born 1955
Written by
Kerry James Marshall, American, born 1955
Published by
Carnegie Museum of Art, American, founded 1895
Description
This is an issue of the comic book “RythmMastr: Every Beat of My Heart" formed out of a single newsprint sheet folded to create a four-page booklet. The front page has four graphic panels of different sizes. The top panel has text at the top in both vertical and horizontal lettering that reads “RYTHM / MASTR.” The panel depicts a large grey water tower seen through the sites of a weapons, with a white target bull-eye superimposed over it. Under the tower is a white rectangle with black text that reads “TOWER OF POWER.” There is small black text just above the white rectangle that reads “written & Drawn by / Kerry James Marshall / c KJM / 1999.” The next panel down shown a wide view of the water tower scene with a man aiming a rocket launcher on his shoulder towards the distant water tower. The man, wearing a dark blue jacket, stands with his back to the viewer. The bottom two panels show the man fitting a large silver rocket into the base of the rocket launcher. The interior of the booklet has four graphic panels on page two and five graphic panels on page three, all depicting an explosion and it's aftermath. The back page of the issue has four graphic panels. The top depicts the water tower platform with a grey cone in the shape of the water tower on it. There is a small rectangle with text at the top that reads “When the smoke cleared.” The second and third panels are in the middle of the page and show a crowd of people lost in a cloud of smoke. The third panel shows people in front of a brick building gazing upward. The fourth bottom panel depicts five characters from the back as they stand inside the grey cone of water.
Place made
United States, North and Central America
Topic
African American
Art
Comics and graphic novels
Design
Graphic design
Social reform
See more items in
National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Classification
Visual Arts
Memorabilia and Ephemera - Other
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
2020.57.3.2
Type
comics
Restrictions & Rights
© Kerry James Marshall
Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
Medium
ink on paper (fiber product)
Dimensions
H x W (closed): 17 1/16 × 11 9/16 in. (43.3 × 29.4 cm)
Title
Title • Rythm Mastr: Tower of Power
Record ID
nmaahc_2020.57.3.2
Museum
NMAAHC
Title Sort
RYTHM MASTR: TOWER OF POWER
Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Metadata Usage
CC0
Date
2000s • 1990s
Name
Carnegie Museum of Art • Marshall, Kerry James
Place
United States • North and Central America
Topic
Design • Graphic arts • Art • Social reform • Comics and graphic novels
Culture
African Americans
Geo Location
Country • United States • Continent • North and Central America
Type
Comic strips
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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Guard tower from Camp H at Angola Prison

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Josh White Model Guitar and case owned by Josh White

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NMAAHC

Rythm Mastr: Tower of Power

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NMAAHC

Playbill for The Bubbly Black Girl Sheds Her Chameleon Skin

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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 Supreme Court case ruled state-sponsored public-school segregation unconstitutional?

Brown v. Board of Education in 1954.