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...

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.

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

Black velvet dress with glass bead embellishments

Date
1920s
Created by
Unidentified
Subject of
Ann Lamb Davis, 1911 - 2002
Black Fashion Museum, American, 1979 - 2007
Description
A black sleeveless silk velvet dress with glass bead embellishments. The dress has a V neckline and is gathered at the top of the shoulders. The edge of the proper right side of the neckline is embellished with glass beads. Glass bugle beads, seed beads, and ovoid shaped glass beads are sewn in diagonal lines across the front of the dress. The lines converge inwards on the proper left side at hip level where the silk velvet is gathered. The dress has no side seam on the proper left side below the concentrated area of embellishments as the dress is left open below the hip. It has an asymmetrical scalloped hem which is shorter on the proper left side. A row of glass ovoid beads and two rows of glass bugle beads are sewn along the bottom of the hemline. The embellishments on the back of the dress mirror the front. Diagonal lines of embellished beads converge inwards on the proper left side at hip level where the silk velvet is gathered. The proper left side of the back panel wraps around the front and is sewn behind the front of the dress at hip level. The dress is unlined, unlabeled, and handsewn. Black synthetic seam binding ribbon is handsewn along the edge of the neckline at the interior. Metal snaps are sewn along the interior top of the shoulder with lingerie guards, only one part of the snap is still attached to the dress on each side. The dress has a rolled hem. The fabric's selvage is along the proper left side of the back panel.
Topic
African American
Clothing and dress
Fashion
See more items in
National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Collection title
Black Fashion Museum Collection
Classification
Clothing - Fashion and Historical
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of the Black Fashion Museum founded by Lois K. Alexander-Lane
Data Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Object number
2007.3.792
Type
dresses
Restrictions & Rights
No known copyright restrictions
Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
Medium
silk velvet, glass beads, synthetic ribbon, and metal
Dimensions
Length (waist to hem): 39 1/2 in. (100.3 cm)
Width (shoulder to shoulder): 16 1/2 in. (41.9 cm)
Waist (flat): 19 1/4 in. (48.9 cm)
Title
Object Name • Black velvet dress with glass bead embellishments
Record ID
nmaahc_2007.3.792
Museum
NMAAHC
Title Sort
BLACK VELVET DRESS WITH GLASS BEAD EMBELLISHMENTS
Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Metadata Usage
CC0
Date
1920s
Name
Davis, Ann Lamb • Black Fashion Museum
Topic
Clothing and dress • Fashion
Culture
African Americans
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.

No preview image
NMAAHC

Photograph of Charles and Georgia Davis with Arthur and Willa Townsend

Date: Date

Description

MORE →
NMAAHC

Black silk velvet coat with white fur collar and sleeves

Date: Date

Description

MORE →
NMAAHC

Black velvet dress with glass bead embellishments

Date: Date

Description

MORE →
NMAAHC

Black textured wool bodice and skirt with lace

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

Which Supreme Court case ruled state-sponsored public-school segregation unconstitutional?

Brown v. Board of Education in 1954.