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

Company contract for Poro College

Date
March 7, 1919
Created by
Poro College, American, 1918 - 1950s
Subject of
Ida Miller Kennedy, American
Signed by
Unidentified
Lucille Brown, American, 1892 - 1960
Elder Brown, American, 1889 - 1949
Owned by
Lucille Brown, American, 1892 - 1960
Description
This is a contract for the Poro College Company regarding the instruction of treating the scalp and hair. Fourteen conditions are included in the contract regarding the correct use for Poro instruction method, the cost of taking the course, and the sharing of the instruction method, and the establishment of a Poro agency within the city of the pupil upon graduation. The last page of the contract is signed by Lucille Brown as the agent and witnessed by Mr. Elder Brown of Weir, Mississippi, as well as an illegible signature of Ackerman, Mississippi. Mrs. Ida Miller C. Kennedy signed as a pupil. The contract is signed on March 7, 1919. The center front cover has ""Poro" College Company/ Annie M. Pope-Turnbo Malone/ Founder" in black text. For all signatures and inscriptions, please see Inscription fields on the Other tabs.
Transcription Center Status
Transcribed by digital volunteers
Place printed
Saint Louis, Missouri, United States, North and Central America
Topic
African American
Beauty salons (Beauty shops)
Beauty schools
Business
Cosmetics
Women
See more items in
National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Classification
Documents and Manuscripts
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
2011.170.6
Type
contracts
Restrictions & Rights
Public domain
Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
Medium
ink on paper
Dimensions
H x W: 14 x 8 1/2 in. (35.6 x 21.6 cm)
Title
Object Name • Company contract for Poro College
Record ID
nmaahc_2011.170.6
Museum
NMAAHC
Title Sort
COMPANY CONTRACT FOR PORO COLLEGE
Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Metadata Usage
CC0
Date
1910s • 1900s
Name
Poro College • Brown, Lucille • Brown, Elder • Kennedy, Ida Miller
Place
Saint Louis • United States • North and Central America • Missouri
Topic
Women • Cosmetics • Beauty salons (Beauty shops) • Beauty schools • Business
Culture
African Americans
Geo Location
City • Saint Louis • State • Missouri • Country • United States • Continent • North and Central America
Type
Contracts
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.

No preview image
NMAAHC

Photograph of Desmond Margetson and Reginald Weir at Cosmopolitan Tennis Club

Date: Date

Description

MORE →
NMAAHC

Mailing tube addressed to Lucille Brown

Date: Date

Description

MORE →
NMAAHC

Photograph of Hall Johnson and the Negro String Quartet

Date: Date

Description

MORE →
NMAAHC

Company contract for Poro College

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.