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

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Places

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...

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.

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

Camera used by Teenie Harris

Date
mid 20th century
Manufactured by
Graflex Inc., 1887 - 1973
Owned by
Charles "Teenie" Harris, American, 1908 - 1998
Description
This Pacemaker 34 Crown Graphic camera is an open and extended field camera. It is missing a handle on its PL side, although the holes and indentations demonstrating where the handle was once attached are still present. There is a lens hood with chipping green lacquer attached to the front of the camera which shields a 135mm f/4.7 lens. The metal frame is rusting in multiple spots and the leather finish on the casing is scratched or fading in some places. The folded, leather-like material of the camera's middle body has small punctures at some of its edges but appears to be mostly whole and without cracking in the material. All hinges and screws necessary to collapse and unfold the camera appear to be in full functioning order with no visible signs of loss or severe rusting. There is engraved text encircling the lens which reads [TRADE Rapax MARK / WOLLENSKA 135MM f/4.7 W RAPTAR No 566116].
Place used
Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, North and Central America
Topic
African American
Black Press
Photography
Technology
See more items in
National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Classification
Tools and Equipment
Exhibition
Making a Way Out of No Way
On View
NMAAHC (1400 Constitution Ave NW), National Mall Location, Community/Third Floor, 3 050
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift from Charles A. Harris and Beatrice Harris in memory of Charles "Teenie" Harris
Data Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Object number
2014.302.2
Type
view cameras
Restrictions & Rights
No Known Copyright Restrictions
Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
Medium
wood, leather, steel, aluminum, and ground glass
Dimensions
H x W x D: 8 1/2 × 7 5/8 × 11 1/4 in. (21.6 × 19.4 × 28.6 cm)
Title
Object Name • Camera used by Teenie Harris
Record ID
nmaahc_2014.302.2
Museum
NMAAHC
Title Sort
CAMERA USED BY TEENIE HARRIS
Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Metadata Usage
CC0
Date
1940s • 1970s
Name
Graflex Inc. • Harris, Charles H.
Place
Allegheny County • United States • North and Central America • Pittsburgh • Pennsylvania
Topic
Photography • Black Press • Technology
Culture
African Americans
Exhibition
NMAAHC • Making a Way Out of No Way
Geo Location
City • Pittsburgh • County • Allegheny County • State • Pennsylvania • Country • United States • Continent • North and Central America
Type
view cameras
On Physical Exhibit
Yes
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

Black dress pants worn by Tuskegee Airman Woodrow Crockett

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

Black Enterprise, Volume 4, No. 1

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

Camera used by Teenie Harris

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

Camera from the studio of H.C. Anderson

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

Brown v. Board of Education in 1954.