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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...

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 4 strongest Black History matches.
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NMAAHC

Quilted petticoat

Date
1830s-1840s; repurposed 1890s
Created by
Unidentified
Description
This quilted petticoat may have been made from a repurposed wholecloth bedcover or refashioned from a once larger skirt. The front of the textile is faced with a small-scale printed floral vine design in white, yellow, purple, and red blossoms with green leaves on a light brown ground. The back of the textile is faced with an orange striped cotton. A layer of cotton batting was quilted between the front and back facing fabrics. It was hand quilted with off-white cotton thread in an offset grid pattern with a leafy vine border design. The floral printed fabric was turned and hand stitched to the back fabric as binding. The fabrics and quilted motifs indicate it was probably made in the 1830s or 1840s. The fabric may have been imported from France.
The cut textile is turned under and the edges left raw at the interior waistline of the petticoat and the cotton batting can be seen along these raw edges. A small piece of printed cotton with a small-scale repeating design of purple flowers on a yellow ground is stitched at the interior proper left front waist. A long length of off-white cotton twill tape is attached around the back waist to hold gathers in the petticoat. The twill tape remains loose on the front so that the front of the petticoat has a flat silhouette. The petticoat is closed by tying these loose lengths of twill tape at the front waist.The hem of the petticoat is the original binding of the bedcover and the quilted vine border of the bedcover is turned horizontal around the bottom of the petticoat. The textile was probably repurposed into its current form as a petticoat between the 1870s and 1890s due to the flat front and gathered back waist.
Place used
United States, North and Central America
Topic
African American
Clothing and dress
Reconstruction, U.S. History, 1865-1877
Slavery
U.S. History, 1865-1921
U.S. History, Civil War, 1861-1865
See more items in
National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Collection title
Robinson Family Collection of African American History
Classification
Slavery and Freedom Objects
Clothing - Fashion and Historical
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Aaron and Maureen Robinson and Family
Data Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Object number
2014.180.1
Type
quilts
petticoats
Restrictions & Rights
No Known Copyright Restrictions
Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
Medium
cotton fabric and cotton batting
Dimensions
H x W x D (On form): 37 × 24 × 20 in. (94 × 61 × 50.8 cm)
Title
Object Name • Quilted petticoat
Record ID
nmaahc_2014.180.1
Museum
NMAAHC
Title Sort
QUILTED PETTICOAT
Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Metadata Usage
CC0
Date
1830s • 1890s
Place
United States • North and Central America
Topic
Slavery • U.S. History, 1865-1921 • U.S. History, Civil War, 1861-1865 • Clothing and dress • Reconstruction, U.S. History, 1865-1877
Culture
African Americans
Geo Location
Country • United States • Continent • North and Central America
Type
petticoats • Quilts
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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Medical tape used by Gabby Douglas during 2012 Olympics

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Quilted petticoat

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Ivory cotton wide brimmed hat with ties

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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.