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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

Yellow bodysuit from a costume worn by Nona Hendryx

Date
1981-1982
Designed by
Ronald Kolodzie, 1940 - 2010
Worn by
Nona Hendryx, American, born 1944
Description
This costume was worn by Nona Hendryx in the music video for her solo single of "Love is Like an Itch in My Heart" in the early 1980s. The costume consists of a yellow hooded headpiece (.1), a yellow bodysuit with a wide black belt (.2ab), and gray jodhpurs with a black leather waistband (.3abc).
Bodysuit (.a): The yellow bodysuit has high-cut leg openings, three-quarter length tapered sleeves, and a stand-up pointed collar. It is made of a yellow synthetic canvas fabric with quilted black leather shoulder pads that are decorated with convex silver rounded metal nail head studs. The front of the bodysuit is open, with the front sides joined together at the bottom of two long thin panels extending from each bottom front edge. These panels are sewn together and two metal snaps with painted yellow heads are attached at the end, which fasten to another long tail that extends from the bottom of the center back of the bodysuit. The leather panels on each shoulder are shaped with a diagonal line on the front and back, oriented from the collar to the bottom of the armhole, and a straight line following the seam line of the sleeve. The bodysuit is fully lined with black synthetic canvas fabric. This same fabric is used as backing for the leather shoulder pads. There is additional batting in the shoulders between the yellow facing and black lining fabrics. There are two (2) black leather belt loops, one at each side approximately two inches above the hem.
b): The long black leather belt is two (2) inches wide and fastens with six (6) black metal snaps, in two rows of three, at each end. The belt is worn wrapped double around the bodysuit and fastened in the back, creating a obi-like appearance and a cinched waist silhouette.
Topic
African American
Clothing and dress
Costume
Costume design
Design
Disco (Music)
Funk (Music)
Rock and roll (Music)
Soul (Music)
See more items in
National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Classification
Clothing - Costume
Movement
Afrofuturism
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Nona Hendryx of Labelle
Data Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Object number
2014.246.4.2ab
Type
main garments for the upper body
belts (costume accessories)
Restrictions & Rights
No Known Copyright Restrictions
Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
Medium
synthetic fiber, leather, metal, and batting
Dimensions
H x W x D ((a) on form): 28 1/4 × 34 × 10 1/2 in. (71.8 × 86.4 × 26.7 cm)
H x W x D ((a) flat): 32 × 25 1/4 × 4 1/4 in. (81.3 × 64.1 × 10.8 cm)
H x W x D ((b) on form): 3 × 8 × 8 1/2 in. (7.6 × 20.3 × 21.6 cm)
H x W x D ((b) flat): 2 3/16 × 48 1/2 × 1/4 in. (5.6 × 123.2 × 0.6 cm)
Title
Object Name • Yellow bodysuit from a costume worn by Nona Hendryx
Record ID
nmaahc_2014.246.4.2ab
Museum
NMAAHC
Title Sort
YELLOW BODYSUIT FROM A COSTUME WORN BY NONA HENDRYX
Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Metadata Usage
CC0
Date
1980s
Name
Hendryx, Nona • Kolodzie, Ronald
Topic
Design • Afrofuturism • Disco (Music) • Rock and roll (Music) • Soul (Music) • Funk (Music) • Costume • Clothing and dress
Culture
African Americans
Type
main garments for the upper body • Belts (costume accessories)
Online Media Rights
No Known Copyright Restrictions

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

Costume for Black Panther worn by Chadwick Boseman

Date: Date

Caption

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NMAAHC

Costume worn by Nona Hendryx of Labelle

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

Yellow bodysuit with buttons designed by Patrick Kelly

Date: Date

Caption

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No preview image
NMAAHC

Yellow bodysuit from a costume worn by Nona Hendryx

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

What prosperous Tulsa district became widely known as “Black Wall Street”?

The Greenwood District.