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...

Shirley Chisholm — Unbought and Unbossed

In 1968 Shirley Chisholm became the first Black woman elected to the United States Congress. In 1972 she launched a campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination, breaking another political barrier.

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

Ebony South Africa Vol. I, No. 1

Date
1995
Created by
Ebony, American, founded 1945
Published by
Johnson Publishing Company, American, 1942 - 2019
Written by
Duane Michael Cheers Ph.D, American, born 1953
Subject of
Nelson Mandela, South African, 1918 - 2013
Pamela E. Bridgewater, American, born 1947
United States Department of State, American, founded 1789
Owned by
Pamela E. Bridgewater, American, born 1947
Description
The premier issue of Ebony South Africa (November/December 1995), published by Johnson Publishing Company, with a profile of Consul General of Durban Pamela E. Bridgewater. Along the top is gold banner with black text reading “Premiere Collector’s Issue” above the red and white title block at the upper left corner. The front cover is an edge-to-edge studio portrait of Basetsana Makgalemele and Augustine Masilela, both dressed in gold brocade, with a feature article titled “A Double Treat: Augustine and Bastsane Take Us Behind the Scenes of Beauty Pageants.” Other headlines from the cover include messages from President Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and a feature on Denzel Washington.
“Pamela Bridgewater: First Black Woman Consul General,” a feature story on the U.S. Ambassador written Professor D. Michael Cheer appears on pages 102-105. The article is an in-depth profile of Bridgewater, covering her personal background, 15-year career with the foreign service, and tour in South Africa as the consul general of the U.S. Consulate in Durban. The article is accompanied by several color photos of Bridgewater, including one of her meeting with Nelson Mandela and another of her with Ela Ghandi, member of Parliament and granddaughter of Mahatma Ghandi.
The back cover is a full-page color advertisement for the Opel Astra range of cars.
Place depicted
South Africa, Africa
Topic
African American
Activism
Africa
Communities
Correspondence
International affairs
Journalism
Photography
Politics
Women
See more items in
National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Classification
Books and Published Materials
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Pamela E. Bridgewater, United States Ambassador (Retired)
Data Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Object number
2023.51.1
Type
magazines (periodicals)
Restrictions & Rights
© Ebony Media Group LLC
Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
Medium
ink on paper
Dimensions
H x W (open): 10 13/16 × 14 15/16 in. (27.5 × 38 cm)
H x W (closed): 10 13/16 × 8 1/4 in. (27.5 × 21 cm)
Title
Title • Ebony South Africa Vol. I, No. 1
Record ID
nmaahc_2023.51.1
Museum
NMAAHC
Title Sort
EBONY SOUTH AFRICA VOL. I, NO. 1
Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Metadata Usage
CC0
Date
1990s
Name
United States Department of State • Bridgewater, Pamela E. • Johnson Publishing Company • Mandela, Nelson • Ebony • Cheers, Duane Michael
Place
South Africa
Topic
Photography • Women • Activism • Communities • Correspondence • Journalism • Politics • International affairs
Culture
African Americans
Geo Location
Country • South Africa • Continent • Africa
Type
Magazines (periodicals)
Online Media Type
Images
Online Media Rights
Use Restricted

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

Letter of commendation for Ambassador Pamela Bridgewater

Date: Date

Caption

MORE →
No preview image
NMAAHC

Triptych of Pamela Bridgewater and Nelson Mandela

Date: Date

Description

MORE →
No preview image
NMAAHC

Ebony South Africa Vol. I, No. 1

Date: Date

Description

MORE →
No preview image
NMAAHC

Photograph of Pamela Bridgewater and Nelson Mandela

Date: Date

Caption

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.