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

The Grim Work of Death

Date
2022
Created by
Christopher Myers, American, born 1974
Caption
The Grim Work of Death is a visual journey into the life of
Nat Turner, born to enslavement in Southampton County,
Virginia. Turner was a deeply religious man who preached
the Bible and experienced prophetic visions. In 1831, he
experienced a vision during the solar eclipse that inspired
him to lead a group of enslaved individuals in a rebellion that
resulted in the deaths of scores of men, women, and children.
Turner escaped harm but was later apprehended and put to
death. Prior to his execution in November 1831, Turner
dictated to attorney Thomas R. Gray his Confessions, in which
he described the rebels’ efforts as “the grim work of death.”
In 2022, Myers commemorated Turner’s life and legacy
in this monumental tapestry that combines historical
investigation with mythological storytelling. He states, “My
work as a storyteller and as an artist centers on pulling
mythologies apart from official records. Especially for African
Americans and other marginalized folks, we must learn to read
these records for our unwritten histories, to see ourselves in
the empty spaces on the page.”
Description
A large appliqué textile work depicting Nat Turner's life and rebellion of enslaved persons in Virginia in August 1831. The work consists of a single, long, rectangular panel, handsewn with pieces of appliquéd fabrics creating colorful and curving figures and imagery against a red, floral print background. The appliqué pieces include a variety of textiles, some solid colors and some with printed or woven design patterns.
The imagery on the left depicts enslaved figures weilding farm tools, axes, picks, and hammers along with a leaping blue bull and a running white horse. Along the top, black and white figures battle each other, with their feet at the top edge and their heads towards the center. At center, a figure is presented in bands of dark brown and red stripes, wearing a band of printed blue fabric with a yellow tie at his waist. The central figure faces another figure who raises his shackled hands high above his head. At right, a pale face with tears of blood appears from the bottom amidst corn stalks. At the top right corner is a dark face whose open lips have been sewn shut with blue thread.
The appliqué front is folded to wrap around the edges and handsewn to the back lining. Made of cotton duck, the lining is machine sewn and includes self-fabric casings along the top and bottom edges, with semi-regularly spaced vertical cuts along the top casing.
Topic
African American
Art
Religion
Resistance
Slavery
U.S. History, 1815-1861
Violence
See more items in
National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Classification
Visual Arts
Textiles and Quilts
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
2023.47
Type
textile art (visual works)
appliqué (textile visual works)
Restrictions & Rights
© Christopher Myers
Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
Medium
cotton and synthetic fabric appliqué with cotton duck backing
Dimensions
H x W: 107 × 392 in. (271.8 × 995.7 cm)
Title
Title • The Grim Work of Death
Record ID
nmaahc_2023.47
Museum
NMAAHC
Title Sort
THE GRIM WORK OF DEATH
Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Metadata Usage
CC0
Date
2020s
Name
Myers, Christopher
Topic
Resistance • Slavery • Art • Violence • Religion • U.S. History, 1815-1861
Culture
African Americans
Type
appliqué (textile visual works) • textile art (visual works)
Online Media Type
Images
Online Media Rights
Limited Use

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

Copy Work, Photo of a Man Working in the Field on Drew Plantation

Date: Date

Description

MORE →
No preview image
NMAAHC

Copy Work, Photo of a Man Working in the Field on Drew Plantation

Date: Date

Description

MORE →
No preview image
NMAAHC

The Grim Work of Death

Date: Date

Caption

MORE →
No preview image
NMAAHC

Black Enterprise February 1991

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

Brown v. Board of Education in 1954.