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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 R.S. Turner, train conductor, at the Scottsboro Boys trial

Date
April 4, 1933
Photograph by
Associated Press, American, founded 1846
Subject of
R.S. Turner, American
Unidentified Man or Men
Description
This gelatin silver print depicts a black and white image of R.S. Turner on the witness stand during the Scottsboro trial. He is seated in a chair and is holding a model train in his hands. The chair he sits on is elevated on a platform. There are other men present in the shot; some to the left are seated behind a tall wooden bench (potential expansion of the judge's bench) while others to the right are seated behind a table. The men in the background are out of focus. On the back of the print, there is a browned piece of paper adhered with tape which details, in black typed text, the AP credit line and caption. A stamp stating the terms of use for the photograph appears above the paper. The words [Scotsboro case] is handwritten in cursive on the top left side of the back of the photograph. The stamp reads [Note to Editors: / APR 4 1933 / Under each reproduction of this picture must / be carried the following credit: / "ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO" / This picture may not be syndicated, rented or loaned nor used for advertising purposes. / The Associated Press]. The peice of paper reads [R.S. TURNER, CONDUCTOR OF THE TRAIN VICTORIA / PRICE AND RUBY BATES HAD BOARDED AT CHATTANOOGA, / ON WITNESS STAND / TENN., SHOWN/HOLDING MODEL OF ONE OF / THE CARS OF THE TRAIN ON WHICH THE GIRLS CHARGED THEY WERE / ATTACKED BY NINE NEGROES, AT THE FIRST OF THE / RETRIALS OF EIGHT OF THE NINE NEGROES WHO HAD / PREVIOUSLY BEEN CONDEMNED TO DEATH, AT THE MORGAN / COUNTY COURTHOUSE, DECATUR, ALA. HE ALSO / TESTIFIED / THAT HE HAD HEARD NO SHOTS OR SCREAMS AS HE RODE IN THE CABOOSE, 26 CARS BEHIND THE GONDOLAS / IN WHICH THE ATTACK IS ALLEGED TO HAVE OCCURRED. / ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO / AJE-4/4/33 (FS (0) SOUTH].
Place captured
Decatur, Morgan County, Alabama, United States, North and Central America
Topic
African American
American South
Justice
Law
Photography
Race relations
U.S. History, 1919-1933
See more items in
National Museum of African American History and Culture 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
2014.37.39.3
Type
gelatin silver prints
portraits
Restrictions & Rights
© AP Images
Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
Medium
silver and photographic gelatin on photographic paper
Dimensions
H x W (Image): 8 3/8 × 6 1/2 in. (21.3 × 16.5 cm)
H x W (Sheet): 9 × 7 in. (22.9 × 17.8 cm)
Title
Object Name • Photograph of R.S. Turner, train conductor, at the Scottsboro Boys trial
Record ID
nmaahc_2014.37.39.3
Museum
NMAAHC
Title Sort
PHOTOGRAPH OF R.S. TURNER, TRAIN CONDUCTOR, AT THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS TRIAL
Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Metadata Usage
CC0
Date
1930s
Name
Turner, R.S. • Associated Press
Place
Decatur • Morgan County • United States • North and Central America • Alabama
Topic
Justice • Photography • U.S. History, 1919-1933 • American South • Law • Race relations
Culture
African Americans
Geo Location
City • Decatur • County • Morgan County • State • Alabama • Country • United States • Continent • North and Central America
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

Portrait of Valdora Turner as a young girl

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

Program for the the play Nat Turner

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Description

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NMAAHC

Playbill for Joe Turner's Come and Gone

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

Photograph of R.S. Turner, train conductor, at the Scottsboro Boys trial

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 heavyweight champion was known as the “Brown Bomber”?

Joe Louis.