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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...

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

Masonic certificate signed by Arturo Schomburg

Date
March 5, 1919
Created by
Most Worshipful Stringer Grand Lodge of Freemasons, Prince Hall Affiliation, founded 1873
Subject of
Joseph E. Capers, American
Signed by
Arturo Alfonso Schomburg, Puerto Rican, 1874 - 1938
Description
A wove paper illustrated and engraved Masonic certificate for Joseph E. Capers, signed by Arturo Schomburg, 1919.
Depicted in highly detailed linework across the bulk of this document, is a super elaborate and ritualistic Freemasons certificate, presented to Joseph E. Capers upon his elevation to Master Mason. At the top is the iconic Egyptian Masonic All-Seeing-Eye, or Eye-of-Rah, the Freemasonic ‘G’ beneath the eye, flanked on either side by Sphinx. The structure drawn has inscriptions that read: [THE MOST WORSHIPFUL GRAND LODGE / OF / THE MOST ANCIENT & HONORABLE FRATERNITY / OF / FREE AND ACCEPTED MASONS / OF THE / STATE OF NEW YORK / By these present testify and declare to all / whom it may concern that our Brother / [signed] Joseph E. Capers / who has signed his name in the margin hereof is / a Master Mason of regular standing in / … Lodge No 3 We do therefore / recommend that he be received and acknowledged / as such by all free and accepted Freemasons / wheresoever dispersed / In testimony whereof we have caused / the signatures of our Grand Master and our / Grand … and the seal of this Grand / Lodge to be hereunto affixed at / this 5th day of March A.L. 1919 A.D. 1919 / [signed] David W. Parker (Master) / [signed] A. Schomburg].
At the bottom of the certificate is: [This Certificate was delivered to Brother [signed] Joseph E. Capers] on the 17th day of March AL 1919 AD 5919 / By [signed] William H. Hill “acting” Worshipful Master of Corner Stone Lodge No 37 in N. Y. City / Attest: [signed] Joseph W. Albright Secretary].
On the reverse of the certificate are various inscriptions.
Topic
African American
Architecture
Associations and institutions
Building Arts
Craftsmanship
Design
Fraternal organizations
Freemasonry
Men
See more items in
National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Classification
Documents and Manuscripts
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture purchased with funds provided by the Smithsonian Latino Initiatives Pool, administered by the Smithsonian Latino Center
Data Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Object number
2020.26.26
Type
engravings
certificates
Restrictions & Rights
No Known Copyright Restrictions
Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
Medium
ink on wove paper
Dimensions
H x W: 8 7/16 × 13 5/8 in. (21.5 × 34.6 cm)
Title
Object Name • Masonic certificate signed by Arturo Schomburg
Record ID
nmaahc_2020.26.26
Museum
NMAAHC
Title Sort
MASONIC CERTIFICATE SIGNED BY ARTURO SCHOMBURG
Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Metadata Usage
CC0
Date
1910s
Name
Capers, Joseph E. • Schomburg, Arturo Alfonso • Most Worshipful Stringer Grand Lodge of Freemasons, Prince Hall Affiliation
Topic
Design • Architecture • Fraternal organizations • Freemasons • Men • Craftsmanship • Associations and institutions
Culture
African Americans
Type
Engravings (prints) • Certificates
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

Proof copy of the first printing of The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

Radio owned by Herman and Minnie Roundtree

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NMAAHC

Radio used by Ray Barretto

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

Masonic certificate signed by Arturo Schomburg

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.