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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
BHP HOME BEFORE AMERICA 1800–1936 1937–1957 1958–1980 1981–2000 2001–PRESENT

Explore Black History

Explore the people, places, events, achievements, struggles and stories that shaped our journey.

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Movements, leaders, victories and the continuing fight for equality.

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Black towns, communities, institutions and places where history happened.

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Events

Moments that changed communities, movements, institutions and the nation.

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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...

Katherine Johnson — Mathematics to the Moon

Katherine Johnson’s mathematical calculations helped guide some of America’s most important early space missions while she confronted the racial and gender barriers faced by Black women in twentieth-century America.

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

Emancipation Era dress worn by formerly enslaved woman Tempy Ruby Bryant

Date
1870-1890
Attributed to
Tempy Ruby Bryant, American, born ca. 1848
Description
A single piece handsewn dress believed to have been worn by the formerly enslaved woman Tempy Ruby Bryant and handed down through her descendants. The dress is composed of a brown and taupe colored floral patterned fabric. The pattern has columns of flowers bordered by dark vertical lines with light vertical lines running through the flowers. The dress has white buttons at the waist, in a single row from waist to collar. Four buttons are missing: one at the waist and three near the collar. There is neat tucking at the waist band and sleeve cuffs.
Place used
Sumter County, Alabama, United States, North and Central America
Topic
African American
Clothing and dress
Emancipation
Families
Freedom
Reconstruction, U.S. History, 1865-1877
Slavery
See more items in
National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
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 Dr. Todd E. Robinson
Data Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Object number
2018.84
Type
dresses
Restrictions & Rights
No Known Copyright Restrictions
Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
Medium
cloth with shell or glass buttons
Dimensions
H x W: 53 × 39 in. (134.6 × 99.1 cm)
Title
Object Name • Emancipation Era dress worn by formerly enslaved woman Tempy Ruby Bryant
Record ID
nmaahc_2018.84
Museum
NMAAHC
Title Sort
EMANCIPATION ERA DRESS WORN BY FORMERLY ENSLAVED WOMAN TEMPY RUBY BRYANT
Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Metadata Usage
CC0
Date
1890s • 1870s
Name
Bryant, Tempy Ruby
Place
Sumter County • United States • North and Central America • Alabama
Topic
Slavery • Clothing and dress • Family • Reconstruction, U.S. History, 1865-1877 • Emancipation • Freedom
Culture
African Americans
Geo Location
County • Sumter County • State • Alabama • Country • United States • Continent • North and Central America
Type
Dresses (garments)
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

Funeral program of Martin Ruby Colbert

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

Postcard of Ruby, a Pullman maid, with a young girl

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

Emancipation Era dress worn by formerly enslaved woman Tempy Ruby Bryant

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

Poster for a concert to aid sit-in movements and the Martin Luther King Defense

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 heavyweight champion was known as the “Brown Bomber”?

Joe Louis.