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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

Violin played by the enslaved man Jesse Burke

Date
1850-1860
Manufactured by
Unidentified
Owned by
Jesse Burke, American, 1834 - 1909
Caption
This violin was originally owned by a slaveholder named Elisha Burke, who owned the Mount Pleasant Plantation in Phillips County, Arkansas. Before the slaveholder died in 1860, he gave the violin to an enslaved man on his plantation, Mr. Jesse Burke (b. 1834 – d. 1909). According to the family oral history, during slavery Jesse was charged with playing the violin for entertainment for the slaveholder and his guests.
Description
A violin (.1a) with a bow (.1b) stored in a wooden case (.2), all owned and played by Jesse Burke, who used the violin during and after enslavement.
The violin (.1a) has a reddish-brown stained wooden body, neck, peg box, and scroll. The pegs, fingerboard, and tailpiece are made of wood painted black. A small piece of mother of pearl is attached at the center top of each peg. The strings are made from steel. A paper label is adhered to the interior back of the violin body, which can be seen through the sound holes. Printed on the label in black text are the words: "Antonius Stradiuarius Cremonensis / Faciebat Anno 1726".
The bow (.1b) has a rod made from a dark-stained wood with a metal tension screw. The frog is made from wood painted black and inlaid with mother of pearl and a metal ferrule. The tip is edged with a panel of an ivory imitation material. The bow hair is made from horsehair, though the horsehair is broken with several strands still attached and extending from the tip in varying lengths.
The wooden case (.2) is painted black and has a hinged lid that opens with two (2) metal hinges. On the opening side are two (2) metal tension clasps with one (1) locking hinge at the center. There is a metal plate with a keyhole to the right of the center hinged lock. A metal handle is attached at either side of the keyhole plate. The interior of the bottom and the lid is lined with a red wool and cotton blend flannel. There are two flannel-covered wooden pieces at the wide side of the case that correspond to the center bouts on the body of the instrument and secure it in place inside the case. A loop of the flannel is sewn near the thin side of the lid, presumably to hold the bow.
Place used
Lexa, Phillips County, Arkansas, United States, North and Central America
Topic
African American
Instrumentalists (Musicians)
Men
Music
Slavery
See more items in
National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Classification
Slavery and Freedom Objects
Musical Instruments
Exhibition
Slavery and Freedom
On View
NMAAHC (1400 Constitution Ave NW), National Mall Location, Concourse 3, C3 053
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Donated by Shirley Burke, Great-Granddaughter, on Behalf of Jesse Burke's Descendants
Data Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Object number
2014.232.1ab-.2
Type
bows (chordophone components)
violins
Restrictions & Rights
No Known Copyright Restrictions
Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
Medium
Violin: wood, steel, and mother of pearl;
Bow: wood, horsehair, metal, and mother of pearl;
Case: wood, metal, and wool cotton blend flannel
Dimensions
H x W x D (Violin): 3 × 24 × 8 1/4 in. (7.6 × 61 × 21 cm)
H x W x D (Bow): 1 1/16 × 29 1/4 × 9/16 in. (2.7 × 74.3 × 1.4 cm)
H x W x D (Case (closed)): 4 1/4 × 30 3/4 × 9 1/2 in. (10.8 × 78.1 × 24.1 cm)
Title
Object Name • Violin played by the enslaved man Jesse Burke
Record ID
nmaahc_2014.232.1ab-.2
Museum
NMAAHC
Title Sort
VIOLIN PLAYED BY THE ENSLAVED MAN JESSE BURKE
Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Metadata Usage
CC0
Date
1850s • 1860s
Name
Burke, Jesse
Place
Phillips County • United States • Lexa • North and Central America • Arkansas
Topic
Slavery • Instrumentalists (Musicians)
Culture
African Americans
Exhibition
NMAAHC • Slavery and Freedom
Geo Location
City • Lexa • County • Phillips County • State • Arkansas • Country • United States • Continent • North and Central America
Type
Bows (chordophone components) • Violins
On Physical Exhibit
Yes
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.

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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 became the first Black woman to travel into space?

Mae Jemison, aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour in 1992.