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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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THE JOURNEY THROUGH TIME
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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...

The Violence That Helped Spark the NAACP

In August 1908, a white mob attacked Springfield, Illinois’s Black community, destroying homes and businesses and lynching two Black men. National outrage over the violence helped spur the movement that created the NAACP the following year.

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BHP gathered finds from its connected research sources. Showing the 4 strongest Black History matches.
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NMAAHC

Woodcarving of a slave trader with enslaved female figure

Date
19th century
Created by
Unidentified
Description
This object is a poly-chrome, three-dimensional, woodcarving depicting a male slave trader figure holding an enslaved female figure in bondage, both standing on an elongated oval platform. Both figures are standing upright and facing the same direction with the male figure behind the female figure. The male figure is significantly larger than the female figure. He has short hair and is wearing a dark three-piece suit, belt with belt buckle, white collared shirt and a dark neck tie. There are two, small white objects in his left and right breast coat pockets. His proper right hand has a drilled hole through the fist. His proper left hand is slightly forward and he is holding a length of cord connected to the female figure. The cord ties her hands behind her back and wraps around her neck in a noose. The female figure is bald, wearing light colored earrings and is nude with the exception of a light colored breechcloth and four strings (two dark strings, two light strings) of glass beads around the waist. A piece of light cloth has been tied around the female figure’s upper torso.
Place purchased
Ghana, West Africa, Africa
Topic
African American
Africa
Art
Design
Slavery
Trans-Atlantic slave trade
See more items in
National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Classification
Slavery and Freedom Objects
Decorative Arts, Craft, and Design
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
2014.122.1ab
Type
carvings
Restrictions & Rights
No Known Copyright Restrictions
Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
Medium
wood, glass, thread, cloth, paint, wool (hair), and bast fiber
Dimensions
Woodcarving: 24 × 18 9/16 × 8 1/2 in. (61 × 47.2 × 21.6 cm)
Title
Object Name • Woodcarving of a slave trader with enslaved female figure
Record ID
nmaahc_2014.122.1ab
Museum
NMAAHC
Title Sort
WOODCARVING OF A SLAVE TRADER WITH ENSLAVED FEMALE FIGURE
Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Metadata Usage
CC0
Place
West Africa • Ghana
Topic
Design • Slavery • Art • Trans-Atlantic slave trade
Culture
African Americans
Geo Location
Country • Ghana • Region • West Africa • Continent • Africa
Type
carvings
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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NMAAHC

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Oscar Land

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NMAAHC

Woodcarving of a slave trader with enslaved female figure

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

Healing doll

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

Which Black woman became the first elected to the United States Congress?

Shirley Chisholm, elected in 1968.