q2K BHP
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
What's New!
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.

✊🏾

Civil Rights

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

⚙️

Black Inventors

Innovation, patents, science, technology and world-changing contributions.

🏆

Sports

Pioneers, champions, Negro Leagues, records, activism and excellence.

♟️

People

Meet the people whose lives, choices and achievements shaped the journey.

📍

Places

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

📜

Events

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

Enter a person, place, event, or topic.
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.

MORE →
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.

MORE →
BHP gathered finds from its connected research sources. Showing the 4 strongest Black History matches.
← BACK TO RESULTS
NMAAHC

Custom Mapex hanging 16-inch tom drum owned by Will Calhoun

Date
2005
Manufactured by
Mapex, Taiwanese, founded 1989
Remo, Inc., American, founded 1957
Used by
Will Calhoun, American, born 1964
Subject of
Living Colour, American, founded 1984
Description
A custom made Mapex "Orion" 16-inch floor tom drum played by Will Calhoun in performances with the band Living Colour. The shell is highly polished silver colored metal with an overlay of etched steel featuring bands of Egyptian art designs of human figures in profile and hieroglyphs. The drum has a silver metal rim and eight gold-plated lugs for the drum heads. Between two pieces of hardware is a metal and plastic mount to attach the tom drum to a drum stand. On either side of the mount is a silver plaque reading [MAPEX / Orion Series / MADE IN CHINA] in engraved text. The plaque to the right of the mount also reads [002865]. The drumhead is a Remo Weatherking Emperor made of clear mylar film. The underside of the drum is a Remo Weatherking Ambassador drumhead made of clear mylar film, it also features the [MAPEX] logo at the top edge of the drum head.
Topic
African American
Instrumentalists (Musicians)
Popular music
Rock and roll (Music)
See more items in
National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Classification
Musical Instruments
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Will Calhoun
Data Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Object number
2015.14.3
Type
tom-toms
Restrictions & Rights
No Known Copyright Restrictions
Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
Medium
metal, mylar, plastic
Dimensions
17 1/4 × 16 3/4 × 20 1/4 in. (43.8 × 42.5 × 51.4 cm)
Title
Object Name • Custom Mapex hanging 16-inch tom drum owned by Will Calhoun
Record ID
nmaahc_2015.14.3
Museum
NMAAHC
Title Sort
CUSTOM MAPEX HANGING 16-INCH TOM DRUM OWNED BY WILL CALHOUN
Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Metadata Usage
CC0
Date
2000s
Name
Mapex • Calhoun, Willliam • Living Colour • Remo, Inc.
Topic
Rock and roll (Music) • Music • Instrumentalists (Musicians)
Culture
African Americans
Type
tom-toms
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.

NMAAHC

Gelatin silver print of Curly "Drum Boogie"

Date: Date

Description

MORE →
NMAAHC

Flier for “Dynasty Jam Boogie” designed by Eddie Ed

Date: Date

Description

MORE →
NMAAHC

Custom Mapex hanging 16-inch tom drum owned by Will Calhoun

Date: Date

Description

MORE →
NMAAHC

Wooden drum used on the Sea Islands, South Carolina

Date: Date

Description

MORE →
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.

MORE →
TRIVIA QUESTION OF THE DAY

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

The Greenwood District.