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Black History Portal
THE BHP WIRE —
HIDDEN TRUTHS
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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Events

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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...

Wilmington 1898 — An American Coup

Wilmington, North Carolina once had a thriving Black middle class and an elected interracial government. In 1898 white supremacists used violence to overthrow that government, kill Black residents and drive many others from the city.

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

Satin multi-colored patchwork print cape by Christian Lacroix

Date
2007-2008
Designed by
Christian Lacroix, French, born 1951
Used by
Ebony Fashion Fair, American, 1958 - 2009
Subject of
Johnson Publishing Company, American, 1942 - 2019
Description
Satin patchwork print cape by Christian Lacroix. The cape is made from a half-silk satin fabric printed with patchwork squares in lavender, chartreuse, orange, dusty pink, mauve, and black. Squares of black net covered in black sequins and beads of various geometric shapes are sewn on the front sides of the cape with haphazard placement. The cape falls below the knee and is double-breasted, with a hidden snap closure on the front of nine (9) large snaps in two columns with five on the right and four on the left. There is an additional small snap and one (1) small button and loop closure at the top of the proper right front. A wide peter pan style collar made from the satin is sewn around the top and covers over where the proper right front crosses on top of the proper left front at the neck. There are wide openings in each side of the coat for the arms. Decorative black satin pocket flaps are sewn diagonally at each front side waist. There is a black satin tie sewn at each back side waist, but it is unclear if it is meant to wrap around to tie at the front waist or to tie and cinch the center back waist.
The cape is fully lined in black silk fabric. The interior of the arm openings are trimmed in black satin. A red fabric label with white embroidered text is sewn at the interior center back neck that reads "Christian Lacroix" with a size label sewn to the bottom of it. A fiber content, style, and care tag is sewn in the interior proper left side seam below the arm opening.
Topic
African American
Clothing and dress
Design
Fashion
Fashion design
See more items in
National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Collection title
Ebony Fashion Fair Collection
Classification
Clothing - Fashion and Historical
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
2015.141.14
Type
capes (outerwear)
Restrictions & Rights
No known copyright restrictions
Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
Medium
silk and cotton blend satin, silk lining, metal fasteners
Dimensions
H x W (flat): 40 × 28 1/2 in. (101.6 × 72.4 cm)
Title
Object Name • Satin multi-colored patchwork print cape by Christian Lacroix
Record ID
nmaahc_2015.141.14
Museum
NMAAHC
Title Sort
SATIN MULTI-COLORED PATCHWORK PRINT CAPE BY CHRISTIAN LACROIX
Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Metadata Usage
CC0
Date
2000s
Name
Johnson Publishing Company • Lacroix, Christian Marie Marc • Ebony Fashion Fair
Topic
Design • Clothing and dress • Fashion
Culture
African Americans
Type
Capes (outerwear)
Online Media Rights
No Known Copyright Restrictions

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

Soul Force: Official Journal of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference vol. 4 no. 5

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

Poster for Southern Christian Leadership Conference

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

Southern Christian Leadership Conference Citizenship Workbook

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

Satin multi-colored patchwork print cape by Christian Lacroix

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

What prosperous Tulsa district became widely known as “Black Wall Street”?

The Greenwood District.