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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

Ivory wedding gown with bows and lace sleeves by Bryan K Osburn

Date
1985 - 1995
Created by
Bryan K. Osburn, American
Subject of
Black Fashion Museum, American, 1979 - 2007
Description
An ivory wedding gown with bows and lace sleeves by Bryan K. Osburn. The dress features an off- the- shoulder silhouette made from one panel of ivory silk taffeta that has a series of hand basted pleats. This panel of fabric is seamed to itself slightly to the proper right of center and has a 9.5” wide bow hand tacked into place over the seam. The bow is double looped with two 9” tails and at the center of it is a 1” shank button made with a metal setting and glass rhinestones. Four beaded strands of plastic pearl beads hang from the shank button and the length of the strands range from 2.25” to 3”.
Underneath the pleated shoulder panel with the bow is a sweetheart neckline bodice. There are two full length, off-the- shoulder sleeves, each made from one panel of ivory floral machine lace, sewn to itself at the inner arm. It’s embellished with iridescent plastic sequins, faux pearl beads, and metal buttons covered in gray synthetic material. The synthetic material buttons are hand tacked into place in various places. There are ten buttons on the proper right sleeve and nine buttons on the proper left sleeve. Each panel of buttons corresponds to a panel of corded loops.
At the waist is a 4.5” wide panel of ivory machine lace, the same lace used for the sleeves. An ivory 9” wide taffeta bow is hand tacked into place at the proper right and on the front of the double looped bow is a 1” wide shank button with a metal setting and clear glass stones Four beaded strands of plastic pearl beads hang from the shank button and the length of the strands range from 2.25” to 3”. Five panels of ivory taffeta are gathered and sewn to the drop waist, to create the skirt. A .5” panel of synthetic horsehair is sewn to the bottom hem, which is then machine sewn into place.
Four panels of fabric ivory satin taffeta make up the back bust. A 14” long metal zipper with metal teeth bisects the two center back panels. Twenty-five metal buttons covered with gray synthetic plain weave fabric are on the proper right of the zipper and twenty-six synthetic chain loops are on the proper left. The back skirt hem is about 7.5” longer than the front.
There is a panel of elastic at the shoulder of each sleeve and each sleeve is lined with ivory net. At the center back neck is a black fabric label that reads [BRYAN K. OSBURN / COLLECTION / CHICAGO NEW YORK] in handwritten gold text. Below that are a series of three labels. Starting at the proper right is a white fabric label that reads [DRY CLEAN / ONLY] in black text. The center label reads [MADE IN / U.S.A] in blue text with a sideways American flag between the text, and at the proper left is a white label that reads [100% SILK] in black text. There are two 4.5” long ivory lace hanging loops at the shoulder (one at each side) and all the interior seams are machine stitched together, except the zipper is sewn to the lining by hand with machine stitching on top. Ivory silk taffeta lines the interior bust, and the lining construction mirrors the outer bodice. There is a French seam where the tulle skirts are sewn to the waist and where the sleeves are sewn to the armscye.
Place made
Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, United States
Topic
African American
Clothing and dress
Fashion
Fashion design
See more items in
National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Collection title
Black Fashion Museum Collection
Classification
Clothing - Fashion and Historical
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of the Black Fashion Museum founded by Lois K. Alexander-Lane
Data Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Object number
2007.3.943
Type
dresses
evening dresses
wedding dresses
Restrictions & Rights
No known copyright restrictions
Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
Medium
silk taffeta, machine lace, net, synthetic plain weave, plastic, horsehair, nylon tulle, rhinestone, sequin, metal, elastic, buckram, string
Dimensions
Length (neckline to hem): 66 in. (167.6 cm)
Width (shoulder to shoulder): 18 in. (45.7 cm)
Chest (flat): 18 in. (45.7 cm)
Waist (flat): 14 1/2 in. (36.8 cm)
Title
Object Name • Ivory wedding gown with bows and lace sleeves by Bryan K Osburn
Record ID
nmaahc_2007.3.943
Museum
NMAAHC
Title Sort
IVORY WEDDING GOWN WITH BOWS AND LACE SLEEVES BY BRYAN K OSBURN
Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Metadata Usage
CC0
Date
1990s • 1980s
Name
Osburn, Bryan K. • Black Fashion Museum
Place
Chicago • United States • Illinois • Cook County
Topic
Design • Clothing and dress • Fashion
Culture
African Americans
Geo Location
City • Chicago • County • Cook County • State • Illinois • Country • United States
Type
Wedding dresses • Dresses (garments)
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

Ivory wedding gown with bows and lace sleeves by Bryan K Osburn

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

Transit pass for St. Louis Public Service Company

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NMAAHC

Banner from a protest rally after the police shooting of Michael Brown

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NMAAHC

Receipt for sale of Milly and her children, Susan, Henry, Harriet and Nancy

Date: Date

Caption

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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

Who was the first African-American woman millionaire in the United States?

Madam C.J. Walker