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

Deck of playing cards from the travel wardrobe trunk used by Cab Calloway

Date
late 20th century
Manufactured by
The United States Playing Card Company, American, founded 1867
Owned by
Cab Calloway, American, 1907 - 1994
Description
A deck of Bee playing cards from the travel wardrobe trunk used by Cab Calloway. The deck is housed in a thin, white, cardboard box with blue text and graphics on the front, back, and side edges. On the front of the pack, printed inside a thin blue frame accented with white dots is a blue banner with large white text that reads [“Bee”] with small additional white text above that reads [REG. U.S. PAT. OFF.]. Below is a blue and white graphic of a bee. At the top is blue text that reads [No. 92 / CLUB SPECIAL] with a graphic of a blue ribbon dividing the text. Printed below the banner is additional blue text that reads [PLAYING CARDS / STANDARD] above a graphic of two branches of laurel branches divided by a small banner with white text that reads [MADE IN U.S.A.]. The back of the packet features a blue art deco style frame with a rectangular graphic of blue diamonds above text that reads [BACK NO 67 / EXTRA SELECTED / FOR CLUB SPECIAL]. The box is partially wrapped with a clear cellophane wrapping. Inside the box is a complete standard 52-card deck of French-suited playing cards and a single joker card, all with a blue diamond pattern back. Also included is a joker card, as well as a card advertising a Euchre set, and a [Guarantee] card which double as two extra joker cards; all with blue diamond pattern backs. The last card is an advertisement for a travel club membership on one side and an advertisement for U.S. Playing Card Company publications on the other.
Place made
Cincinnati, Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, North and Central America
Topic
African American
Amusements
Band (Music)
Clothing and dress
Conductors (Musicians)
Costume
Entertainers
Jazz (Music)
Singers (Musicians)
Travel
See more items in
National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Collection title
The Cabell “Cab” Calloway III Collection
Classification
Toys and Games
Accessories and Personal Effects
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Cabella Calloway Langsam
Data Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Object number
A2015.273.1.1.4
Type
packs of cards
Restrictions & Rights
© The United States Playing Card Company
Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
Medium
ink on paper (fiber product) with cardboard and plastic
Dimensions
H x W x D: 3 9/16 × 2 9/16 × 11/16 in. (9 × 6.5 × 1.7 cm)
Title
Object Name • Deck of playing cards from the travel wardrobe trunk used by Cab Calloway
Record ID
nmaahc_A2015.273.1.1.4
Museum
NMAAHC
Title Sort
DECK OF PLAYING CARDS FROM THE TRAVEL WARDROBE TRUNK USED BY CAB CALLOWAY
Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Metadata Usage
CC0
Date
1990s • 1970s
Name
The United States Playing Card Company • Calloway, Cab
Place
United States • North and Central America • Cincinnati • Ohio • Hamilton County
Topic
Description and travel • Amusements • Costume • Clothing and dress • Conductors (Musicians) • Band (Music) • Entertainers • Jazz (Music) • Singers (Musicians)
Culture
African Americans
Geo Location
City • Cincinnati • County • Hamilton County • State • Ohio • Country • United States • Continent • North and Central America
Type
Card games (game sets)
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

Deck of playing cards from the travel wardrobe trunk used by Cab Calloway

Date: Date

Description

MORE →
No preview image
NMAAHC

Lobby card for the film His Harlem Wife

Date: Date

Caption

MORE →
No preview image
NMAAHC

Football trading card for Reggie Collier depicting Joe Gilliam

Date: Date

Description

MORE →
No preview image
NMAAHC

Monogrammed playing cards owned by Mary Church Terrell

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 Black woman became the first elected to the United States Congress?

Shirley Chisholm, elected in 1968.