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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

Black Journal: 21; Ethiopia

Date
1969
Directed by
Kent Garrett, American, born 1941
Produced by
Kent Garrett, American, born 1941
William Greaves, American, 1926 - 2014
National Educational Television, American, 1954 - 1970
Photograph by
Leroy Lucas, American
Owned by
Pearl Bowser, American, 1931 - 2023
Caption
This 16mm film is a special half-hour-long documentary produced for the National Educational Television program Black Journal. It examines the cultural and historical life of African nation of Ethiopia.
Description
Film clip from Black Journal: 21. It consist of a single reel of 16mm color acetate film with optical sound. The film examines the cultural and historical life of Ethiopia. The entire documentary is voiced-over by a male narrator who describes Ethiopia's intersecting political, religious, and social history. The first half of the documentary is spent telling the history of Christianity in Ethiopia, and its ties to and influence on ancient Ethiopia. There are shots of the Obelisk of Aksum in Ethiopia's Tirgay; a 1,700-year-old granite stele that stands 24 meters tall and weighs 160 metric tons. The narrator then describes the historical architecture and founding of the Church of St. George in the city of Lalibela, located in the Amhara Region of Ethiopia. One of eleven monolithic churches in the city of Lalibela, the narrator explains the importance of this group of rock-hewn churches that were built in the late 12th to early 13th century and serves as a pilgrimage for some. Next, there are scenes of the festival of Timket Holiday in Adis Abeba and footage of various Ethiopian tribes singing and dancing. Ethiopians are described as an African people, diverse in tribal association while sharing common African ancestry. The narrator states that it is a common mistake to racially identify Ethiopians as Middle Eastern.
Place filmed
Aksum, Tigray, Ethiopia, Africa
Addas Ababa, Ethiopia, Africa
Lalibela, Amara, Ethiopia, Africa
Place depicted
Ethiopia, Africa
Title
Segment from Black Journal: Episode 21
Topic
African American
Africa
Architecture
Christianity
Documentary films
Film
Public television
Religion
See more items in
National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Collection title
Pearl Bowser Collection
Portfolio/Series
Black Journal
Classification
Time-based Media - Moving Images
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Pearl Bowser
Data Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Object number
2012.79.1.49.1a
Type
sound films
color films (visual works)
16mm (photographic film size)
Restrictions & Rights
© National Educational Television
Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
Medium
acetate film
Dimensions
Physical extent (film): 860 ft
Duration: 24 min.
Title
Title • Black Journal: 21; Ethiopia
Record ID
nmaahc_2012.79.1.49.1a
Museum
NMAAHC
Title Sort
BLACK JOURNAL: 21; ETHIOPIA
Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Metadata Usage
CC0
Date
1960s
Name
Greaves, William • Garrett, Kent • Lucas, Leroy • Bowser, Pearl • National Educational Television
Place
Amara • Aksum • Tigray • Africa • Addas Ababa • Lalibela • Ethiopia
Topic
Public television • Architecture • Religion • Documentary films
Culture
Christians • African Americans
Geo Location
City • Aksum • State • Tigray • Country • Ethiopia • Continent • Africa • City • Addas Ababa • City • Lalibela • State • Amara
Type
color films (visual works) • 16mm (photographic film size) • sound films
Online Media Type
Video recordings
Online Media Rights
Limited Use

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

Black Journal: 21; Ethiopia

Date: Date

Caption

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NMAAHC

Sale agreement and convent transfer of power in colonial New Spain

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Description

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NMAAHC

The Justices' Practice Under the Laws of Maryland

Date: Date

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NMAAHC

Playbill for the Negro Ensemble Company production of God is a (Guess What?)

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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.