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

James A. Bland's Great Ethiopian Songs

Date
ca. 1904
Composed by
James Bland, American, 1854 - 1911
Published by
Hitchcock Publishing Company, American, founded 1895
Description
Lithographed sheet music for the minstrel song "In the Evening by the Moonlight" composed by James A. Bland. The folio is comprised of two (2) sheets of off-white paper printed in black ink, one (1) large sheet folded once to make two (2) leaves, and one (1) center sheet with no fold, resulting in a total of five (5) printed pages and one blank page. The first page features a line-drawing portrait of Bland at the center of the top banner, with text that reads: [JAMES A [portrait] BLAND's / AUTHOR OF "IN THE MORNING BY THE BRIGHT LIGHT." / THE BEST ETHIOPIAN SONG WRITER IN THE WORLD / AUTHOR OF "OH'DEM GOLDEN SLIPPERS" "SONGS OF HAM." / GREAT ETHIOPIAN SONGS/ KEEP DEM GOLDEN GATES WIDE OPEN, DE ANGELS AM A COMING. / TAKE GOOD CARE OF MOTHER / _IN THE EVENING BY THE MOONLIGHT.] Below is a two-part illustration covering the bottom half of the page. At proper left is a caricatured depiction of a Black church service, with a minister at a pulpit in the middle of the image, trees in the background to the proper left and choir members in robes with hands raised to the right. At the proper right are angels in robes with wings flying in front of open heavenly gates with the sun shining through. Below these images, more text is printed: [5 / HITCHCOCK PUBLISHING COMPANY, / 49 Eighth Avenue, near Horatio Street / To be had also at 7 Barclay Street, near Broadway]. The second page is blank. The third through fifth pages are the music and lyrics for the song. At the bottom of first page is printed: [Copyright, 1880, by BENJ. W. HITCHCOCK]. The back page is covered with advertisements for music books and instruction in instruments including violin, organ, cornet, piano, and banjo.
Statement
Objects depicting racist and/or stereotypical imagery or language may be offensive and disturbing, but the NMAAHC aims to include them in the Collection to present and preserve the historical context in which they were created and used. Objects of this type provide an important historical record from which to study and evaluate racism.
Place printed
New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America
Topic
African American
Composers (Musicians)
Minstrel (Music)
Music
See more items in
National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Classification
Racist and Stereotypical Objects
Written Music
Exhibition
Musical Crossroads
On View
NMAAHC (1400 Constitution Ave NW), National Mall Location, Culture/Fourth Floor, 4 053
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
Data Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Object number
2014.63.82.7
Type
sheet music
Restrictions & Rights
No known copyright restrictions
Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
Medium
ink on paper
Dimensions
H x W (closed): 14 × 10 5/8 in. (35.5 × 27 cm)
Title
Title • James A. Bland's Great Ethiopian Songs
Record ID
nmaahc_2014.63.82.7
Museum
NMAAHC
Title Sort
JAMES A. BLAND'S GREAT ETHIOPIAN SONGS
Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Metadata Usage
CC0
Date
1900s
Name
Bland, James • Hitchcock Publishing Company
Place
New York City • United States • North and Central America
Topic
Minstrel (Music) • Composers (Musicians)
Culture
African Americans
Exhibition
NMAAHC • Musical Crossroads
Geo Location
City • New York City • State • New York • Country • United States • Continent • North and Central America
Type
Sheet music
On Physical Exhibit
Yes
Online Media Type
Images
Online Media Rights
No Known Copyright Restrictions

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

I Am A Black Woman

Date: Date

Description

MORE →
No preview image
NMAAHC

Masters of the Dew: A Novel of Haiti

Date: Date

Description

MORE →
No preview image
NMAAHC

Masters of the Dew: A Novel of Haiti

Date: Date

Description

MORE →
No preview image
NMAAHC

James A. Bland's Great Ethiopian Songs

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

Who was the first African-American woman millionaire in the United States?

Madam C.J. Walker