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

Black dress and jacket with beaded embellishments by Fabrice

Date
1980s
Designed by
Fabrice Simon, Haitian, 1951 - 1998
Used by
Ebony Fashion Fair, American, 1958 - 2009
Subject of
Johnson Publishing Company, American, 1942 - 2019
Description
Black strapless dress and jacket with beaded embellishments by Fabrice.
The black silk dress (.1) is strapless with a sweetheart neckline. It falls just above the wearer's knee. It is made from black silk that is gathered into ruching and sewn along a center back seam. There are no other seams in the body of the dress. An undulating line of clusters of silver beads and rhinestones are hand sewn down the center front of the dress, holding and shaping the gathered fabric on the front side. The dress closes at the center back with a zipper and one (1) metal hook-and-eye. A second eye is sewn on the proper left exterior of the zipper, likely a later addition. The dress is fully lined in black silk. Boning is sewn around the bodice between the facing and lining. Black hanger loops are sewn at each interior side. A black fabric label with silver embroidered text is sewn at the interior back that reads "FABRICE / NEW YORK". Fiber content, care, and size labels are sewn at the interior proper left bodice side seam.
The black silk jacket (.2) is short with much exaggerated padded shoulders and full-length tapered sleeves. It is open in the front with rounded edges that taper out to the sides and around to the back, which is concave toward the center back hemline. The tops of the shoulders are ruched with clusters of silver rhinestones and beads in various shapes and sizes hand sewn over the ruched seam. The interior of the jacket is lined in black silk fabric. Wide and thick shoulder pads are sewn between the lining and facing at each shoulder. Weights are sewn inside the hemline around the front and back bottom hem. Fiber content, care, and size labels are sewn at the interior proper left side seam. An additional label came detached and is stored with the jacket. It is a black fabric label with silver embroidered text reading "FABRICE / NEW YORK".
Topic
African American
Clothing and dress
Design
Fashion
Fashion design
See more items in
National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Collection title
Ebony Fashion Fair Collection
Classification
Clothing - Fashion and Historical
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
2015.141.21.1-.2
Type
dresses
bomber jackets
Restrictions & Rights
No known copyright restrictions
Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
Medium
dress: silk, rhinestones, beads, and metal fasteners;
jacket: silk, rhinestones, beads, and metal weights
Dimensions
H x W (.1 flat): 31 1/2 × 17 3/4 in. (80 × 45.1 cm)
H x W (.2 flat): 25 3/4 × 50 1/4 in. (65.4 × 127.6 cm)
Title
Object Name • Black dress and jacket with beaded embellishments by Fabrice
Record ID
nmaahc_2015.141.21.1-.2
Museum
NMAAHC
Title Sort
BLACK DRESS AND JACKET WITH BEADED EMBELLISHMENTS BY FABRICE
Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Metadata Usage
CC0
Date
1980s
Name
Johnson Publishing Company • Simon, Fabrice • Ebony Fashion Fair
Topic
Design • Clothing and dress • Fashion
Culture
African Americans
Type
Dresses (garments) • bomber jackets
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

Black, green, and red bomber jacket by Cross Colours

Date: Date

Description

MORE →
NMAAHC

Black leather jacket worn by Gil Scott-Heron

Date: Date

Description

MORE →
No preview image
NMAAHC

Black dress and jacket with beaded embellishments by Fabrice

Date: Date

Description

MORE →
NMAAHC

White leather jacket by Baby Phat

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.