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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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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

Africana Rocking Chair

Date
2020
Designed by
Norman Teague, American, born 1968
Yohance Lacour, American
Description
Africana Rocking Chair (a) with seat cover (b) designed by Norman Teague with leather craftsperson Yohance Lacour.
The rocking chair is constructed entirely from matte, ebony finished basswood. The smooth, square seat has rounded edges and narrows slightly at the back. The chair has a low, curved seat back rail made from a single, cylindrical piece of carved wood with a dimpled pattern on the top half and a smooth surface on the bottom half. The rail is held in place with two back posts that also form the back legs of the chair’s frame. The frame consists of cylindrical pieces of wood conjoined to form a rough square-shape, with the bottom edge formed by curved rockers. A horizontal crossbar connects the rockers at their center and the bottom of each is covered in a camel-toned leather that matches the seat cushion. Adhered to the bottom of the chair seat is a red and white rectangular adhesive label. Teague’s signature, [Normal Teague] is reproduced in white text in the red field at the top of the label, just above [NORMAN TEAGUE DESIGN STUDIO] printed in small white text. Black text printed in the white field below reads [© Africana Collection 2020 / Special Edition with R & Company].
The seat cover is constructed from camel covered leather. It has padded cushion that lays on top of the chair seat and then extends into a piece of finished leather that folds over the chair back. Right at the chair back is a rectangular padded piece. Past the back rail, the piece of leather curves outward into a rounded shape before tapering into a near point at the bottom. Tooled leather reads [ISE AWON IYIKA / TI ORO AJE].
Place made
Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, United States, North and Central America
Topic
African American
Craftsmanship
Design
See more items in
National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Classification
Decorative Arts, Craft, and Design
Exhibition
Reclaiming My Time
Reset: Abstraction Embodied in Design
On View
NMAAHC (1400 Constitution Ave NW), National Mall Location, Culture/Fourth Floor, 4 052
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
2024.21ab
Type
seats and seat components
rocking chairs
Restrictions & Rights
© Norman Teague
Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
Medium
a. basswood
b. thread on leather
Dimensions
H x W x D (Overall): 28 13/16 × 21 1/2 × 21 1/2 in. (73.2 × 54.6 × 54.6 cm)
H x W x D (Chair): 28 1/2 × 21 1/2 × 21 1/2 in. (72.4 × 54.6 × 54.6 cm)
H x W x D (Seat cushion): 2 3/16 × 17 15/16 × 47 3/8 in. (5.5 × 45.5 × 120.4 cm)
Title
Title • Africana Rocking Chair
Record ID
nmaahc_2024.21ab
Museum
NMAAHC
Title Sort
AFRICANA ROCKING CHAIR
Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Metadata Usage
CC0
Date
2020s
Name
Lacour, Yohance • Teague, Norman
Place
Chicago • United States • Illinois • North and Central America • Cook County
Topic
Design • Craftsmanship
Culture
African Americans
Exhibition
NMAAHC • Reset: Abstraction Embodied in Design
Geo Location
City • Chicago • County • Cook County • State • Illinois • Country • United States • Continent • North and Central America
Type
rocking chairs • seats and seat components
On Physical Exhibit
Yes
Online Media Type
Images
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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Africana Rocking Chair

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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

Who was the first African-American woman millionaire in the United States?

Madam C.J. Walker