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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...

Ruler of the Mali Empire in the 14th century

Mansa Musa was the ruler of the Mali Empire in West Africa. Details recorded here should be sourced; unknown information is left blank.

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BHP gathered finds from its connected research sources. Showing the 1 strongest Black History matches.
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NMAAHC

Beverly Guy-Sheftall, Ph.D., Oral History Interview

Date
March 19, 2024
Created by
National Museum of African American History and Culture, American, founded 2003
Recorded by
Trudy Hutcherson, American
Candace Dane Chambers, American
Interviewed by
Isabella Salcedo
Interview of
Beverly Guy-Sheftall, American, born 1946
Subject of
Atlanta Student Movement, American, founded 1960
Spelman College, American, founded 1881
Barbara Smith, American, born 1946
Patricia Bell-Scott, American, born 1950
Alice Walker, American, born 1944
Wellesley College, American, born 1870
Atlanta University, American, 1865 - 1988
Alabama State University, American, founded 1867
Emory University, American, founded 1836
Anita Hill, American, born 1956
Black Women's Health Imperative, American, founded 1983
Dr. Johnnetta Betsch Cole, American, born 1936
University of Virginia, American, founded 1819
Description
An oral history interview with author and Black feminist scholar Dr. Beverly Guy-Sheftall. It consists of three versions of digital video recording, two camera card files (2025.12.13.1.1 and 2025.12.13.1.2, .mxf files) and one edited file (2025.12.13.1.3, .mov file).
Dr. Beverly Guy-Sheftall was interviewed by American University student Isabella Salcedo on March 19, 2024, as part of the Social Justice Conversations Oral History Project. The interview took place at Spelman College’s Women’s Research and Resource Center in Atlanta, Georgia. At the time of the interview, Dr. Guy-Sheftall was 77 years old.
This oral history interview consists of two distinct sections: an “interview” section (part 1) and a “conversation” section (part 2, 1:00:15). In part 1, Dr. Guy-Sheftall talks about her early life in Memphis, TN, reflecting on her family life, educational experiences, stories she was told about racial violence and lynching, and her early understandings of race and gender. Dr. Guy-Sheftall goes on to discuss her time as a student at Spelman College, Wellesley College, and Atlanta University. She also recalls her initial journey into women's studies, her pioneering work in the fields of Black women’s literature and Black feminist thought, and her time as a doctoral student at Emory University. Dr. Guy-Sheftall talks about her long career at Spelman, discussing a variety of topics, including the establishment of the Women’s Research and Resource Center, her fight against negative perceptions of feminism, and her work to establish a “radical Black feminist presence” at the college. In part 2, Dr. Guy-Sheftall reflects on her pro-Palestinian work, the impact of feminist friendships, and growing up during the Civil Rights Movement. Salcedo reflects on her relationship to feminism, and Dr. Guy-Sheftall discusses teaching race and women’s studies to younger generations and the growth of Spelman's women's studies program. Dr. Guy-Sheftall and Salcedo also speak about multicultural and LGBTQIA student groups and spaces. Finally, Salcedo talks about her desire to teach, and Dr. Guy-Sheftall describes her experience as a Black female professor and her desire to write an intellectual memoir.
Place filmed
Atlanta, Fulton County, Georgia, United States, North and Central America
Place captured
Memphis, Shelby County, Tennessee, United States, North and Central America
Atlanta, Fulton County, Georgia, United States, North and Central America
Wellesley, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States, North and Central America
Montgomery, Montgomery County, Alabama, United States, North and Central America
Charlottesville, Albemarle County, Virginia, United States, North and Central America
Topic
African American
Activism
Civil Rights
Communities
Education
Families
Feminism
Gender
HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities)
Health
LGBTQ
Literature
Lynching
Race discrimination
Sexual abuse
Slavery
U.S. History, 1961-1969
U.S. History, 1969-2001
U.S. History, 2001-
Violence
Women
World War II
See more items in
National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Collection title
Social Justice Conversations Oral History Project
Classification
Time-based Media - Moving Images
Movement
Civil Rights Movement
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
2025.12.13.1
Type
video recordings
oral histories
digital media - born digital
Restrictions & Rights
© Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
Medium
digital
Dimensions
Duration (2025.12.13.1.3, edited): 2 hr., 15 min., 41 sec.
File size: 208 GB
Title
Title • Beverly Guy-Sheftall, Ph.D., Oral History Interview
Record ID
nmaahc_2025.12.13.1
Museum
NMAAHC
Title Sort
BEVERLY GUY-SHEFTALL, PH.D., ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEW
Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Metadata Usage
CC0
Date
2020s • 1940s • 1939-1945
Name
University of Virginia • Chambers, Candace Dane • Alabama State University • Hutcherson, Trudy • Atlanta University • Walker, Alice • Emory University • Cole, Johnnetta Betsch • Spelman College • Smith, Barbara • Hill, Anita • Salcedo, Isabella • Wellesley College • Guy-Sheftall, Beverly • Black Women's Health Imperative • National Museum of African American History and Culture • Bell-Scott, Patricia • Atlanta Student Movement
Place
Charlottesville • United States • Tennessee • Montgomery • Alabama • Wellesley • Norfolk County • Atlanta • North and Central America • Massachusetts • Albemarle County • Fulton County • Montgomery County • Memphis • Georgia • Shelby County • Virginia
Topic
Slavery • Women • Activism • Literature • Communities • Health • Violence • HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) • Civil Rights • U.S. History, 1961-1969 • World War, 1939-1945 • WW II • Feminism • Discrimination • LGBTQ • Education • Race • Lynching • Family • Civil rights • Sexual abuse • U.S. History, 1969-2001 • U.S. History, 2001- • Gender issues
Culture
African Americans
Geo Location
City • Atlanta • County • Fulton County • State • Georgia • Country • United States • Continent • North and Central America • City • Memphis • County • Shelby County • State • Tennessee • City • Wellesley • County • Norfolk County • State • Massachusetts • City • Montgomery • County • Montgomery County • State • Alabama • City • Charlottesville • County • Albemarle County • State • Virginia
Type
Video recordings • digital media - born digital • Oral histories (document genres) • Interviews
Online Media Type
Video recordings
Online Media Rights
Copyright Owned

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

Beverly Guy-Sheftall, Ph.D., Oral History Interview

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

Brown v. Board of Education in 1954.