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

Hickory nut doll made by formerly enslaved man, Obadiah Beverly

Date
ca. 1876
Created by
Obadiah Beverly, American
Description
This doll was handmade by Obadiah Beverly, known as Obe, a formerly enslaved man in Virginia. The doll is composed of a hickory nut, wooden stick, fabric and lace. The nut, used for the head, is wrapped in a section of faded cotton cloth, with part of the nut surface exposed as the face. The fabric is gathered together under the nut by a piece of lace, wound several times around the object. The body of the doll is a stick wrapped in cotton cloth. The doll's skirt is made of a gathered section of cream colored cotton cloth with a faded pattern.
Place made
Saltville, Smyth County, Virginia, United States, North and Central America
Topic
African American
Children
Emancipation
Families
Slavery
See more items in
National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Classification
Slavery and Freedom Objects
Toys and Games
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of P. Douglas Groseclose in memory of Virginia Dare Vawter Groseclose
Data Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Object number
2016.57
Type
dolls
Restrictions & Rights
No Known Copyright Restrictions
Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
Medium
hickory nut with wood, cloth, lace and thread
Dimensions
H x W x D: 6 1/2 × 6 × 2 in. (16.5 × 15.2 × 5.1 cm)
Title
Object Name • Hickory nut doll made by formerly enslaved man, Obadiah Beverly
Record ID
nmaahc_2016.57
Museum
NMAAHC
Title Sort
HICKORY NUT DOLL MADE BY FORMERLY ENSLAVED MAN, OBADIAH BEVERLY
Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Metadata Usage
CC0
Date
1880s • 1870s
Name
Beverly, Obadiah
Place
United States • North and Central America • Saltville • Smyth County • Virginia
Topic
Slavery • Family • Children • Emancipation
Culture
African Americans
Geo Location
City • Saltville • County • Smyth County • State • Virginia • Country • United States • Continent • North and Central America
Type
Dolls
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

Hickory nut doll made by formerly enslaved man, Obadiah Beverly

Date: Date

Description

MORE →
No preview image
NMAAHC

Photograph of Beverly White

Date: Date

Description

MORE →
No preview image
NMAAHC

Ambassador’s flag owned by Ambassador William Beverly Carter, Jr.

Date: Date

Description

MORE →
No preview image
NMAAHC

Photograph of Beverly White

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.