HS Black History Quiz Bowl 2023 (even questions)

Raphael Warnock was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2020. Name one other African American currently in the U.S. Senate.

Corey Booker, Tim Scott

Name two African American quarterbacks who have won Super Bowl rings.

Patrick Mahomes, Russell Wilson, Doug Williams

Rosa Parks had this youth in mind when she refused to give up her seat and started the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Name the 14 year old youth from Chicago who was brutally murdered in Money, Mississippi in 1955.

Emmett Till

This civil rights leader participated in the Selma to Montgomery March. He was a member of the House of Representatives before he died in 2020.

John Lewis

What was the title of Dr. King’s famous speech?

“I have A Dream”

Nia (Purpose) and Ujamaa (Cooperative economics) are two of the seven principles of Kwanzaa. Umoja is another principle. What does Umoja mean?

Unity

Describe the underground railroad.

Secret passageways that enslaved people used to escape slavery.

What was the significance of the 13th Amendment?

Outlawed slavery

Alvin Batiste was the founder of what Southern University Institute?

Jazz Institute

What was the name of the abolitionist newspaper founded by Fredrick Douglass and what was the significance of that name?

“The North Star”; the North Star helps runaways to find their way to the north by guiding them northward.

In what year did the Baton Rouge Bus Boycott take place and who was its leader?

1653, Reverend T.J. Jemison

She is the first self-made woman millionaire. By what other name was Sarah Breedlove known and how did she acquire her wealth?

Madam C.J. Walker; Manufacturing and selling hair products for African American women

Who portrayed the Black Panther in the movie and name another historic African American also portrayed by this actor?

Chadwick Boseman, Jackie Robinson, Thurgood Marshall, James Brown

Who is Folasade Adu and where was she born?

Sade, Nigeria

Who wrote “Red Summer” and what was the book about?

Ida B Wells, lynching

Jason Reynolds is a young author that has written several books about young African American boys. Name one of his books.

A Tale Told in Ten Blocks, All American Boys, and Long Way Down

Imhotep was also an architect and has been credited with designing what type of buildings?

Pyramids

He was a founding member of the NAACP.

W.E.B. Dubois

W.E.B. Dubois and his wife Shirley are both buried in what African country?

Ghana

Name two HBCUs in New Orleans.

Dillard, Xavier, Southern University

What was Ralph Ellison’s classic novel?

“Invisible Man”

Sadie Roberts Joseph encouraged us to celebrate what holiday?

Juneteenth

Who delivered the eulogy at the funeral of Malcolm X and how did he describe Malcolm X in that eulogy?

Ossie Davis, “Our Black Shining Prince”

What African American woman directed the film “Selma”?

Ava Duvernay

Give two inventions made by Garrett Morgan.

Traffic light, gas mask

Mary J. Blige received an Academy Award nomination for her role in what movie?

Mudbound

Give two types of civil rights activity in which CORE participated.

Sit-ins, freedom rides, voter registration

Who is the current mayor of New Orleans?

LaToya Cantrell

What political office does Kamala Harris hold and what other national office did she hold before?

Vice President of the U.S.; Senator from California

What 21 year old Black Panther Party member was murdered by Chicago police with F.B.I. involvement in 1969?

Fred Hampton

Name one of the outstanding books written by author James Baldwin.

“The Fire Next Time”, “Go Tell It On the Mountain”, “Nobody Knows My Name”, “If Beale Street Could Talk”

How were African Americans kept from voting during the early Jim Crow era?

Poll tax, difficult literacy tests, terrorism

Apartheid was the system of racial segregation and oppression that was found in what African country?

South Africa

Prior to election in 1994, where did Nelson Mandela spend the previous 27 years?

In prison for fighting against apartheid

Who are Sasha and Malia?

Daughters of the Obamas

Name the mot famous scientist of Tuskegee University.

George Washington Carver

Name an agricultural practice that Dr. Carver recommended that is are used by today’s organic farmers.

Crop rotation, planting cover crops, Composing

What is the hometown of Linda Thomas Greenfield and what position in government does she now serve?

Baker, Louisiana, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations.

Name the two African Americans who served as Secretary of State.

Colin Power, Condoleezza Rice

In what city in North Carolina did the famous restaurant sit-in by 4 students take place and what university did these students attend?

Greensboro, NC, North Carolina A and T

This island nation has some of the world’s best track athletes, especially in the sprints.

Jamaica

Her mother was born in Japan and her father is from Haiti. She has won tennis championships at both the U.S. and Australian Open. Name her.

Naomi Osaka

Who was Toussaint L’Overture

Leader of the slave revolt in Haiti

Over 1,000 youngsters participated in the march to oppose discrimination and racism in May, 1963. Name the march and the city in which it took place.

The Children’s March, Birmingham, Alabama

He was the first African American mayor of Chicago. She is the current mayor. Name them both.

Harold Washington, Lori Lightfoot

In 1971, Marvin Gaye released this classic social conscience song that covered war, the environment, and racism. Name the song.

“What’s Going On”

His final three words were often repeated in wide spread demonstrations against police brutality. Name him and repeat those three words.

Eric Garner, “I Can’t Breathe”

What was Wes Moore’s book “The Other Wes Moore” about?

He compared his life with another man named Wes Moore who lived a life of crime and is currently in prison.

In 1941, Dr. Drew was appointed as director to the first American Red Cross Blood Bank. Why did he resign?

He protested that blood from Blacks and whites was kept separately

His murder by police in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 2020 led to world wide demonstrations for justice.

George Floyd

What do the letters SNCC stand for?

Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee

He was an active member of the SNCC before becoming mayor of Washington, DC.

Marion Berry

Who wrote “Black Boy” and “Native Son”?

Richard Wright

He is often considered to be one of the greatest poets during the Harlem Renaissance.

Langston Hughes

Marcus Garvey was a Pan Africanist. What do Pan Africanists believe?

People of Africa descent throughout the world should work for a strong and unified Africa.

What shipping company was founded by Marcus Garvey to conduct international trade among Black people?

Black Star Shipping Line

Who was the most famous reggae singer who, like Garvey, was born in Jamaica?

Bob Marley

He is known as “The Father of Black History”. He also founded the Association for the Study of African American Life and History.

Carter G. Woodson

Who founded the River Road African Museum and in what city in Louisiana is it located?

Kathe Hambrick Jackson, Donaldsonville

What was the purpose of the Deacons for Defense?

To protect students and civil rights workers from violent attacks from the Ku Klux Klan

Simone is also the last name of a singer and pianist known as “The High Priestess of Soul”. Name her.

Nina Simone

Who wrote “The New Jim Crow” and what is the book about?

Michelle Alexander; mass incarceration of African Americans

What is chronic tramatic encephalopathy (CTE), and who discovered its existence among professional football players?

Brain disorder, Dr. Bennet Omalu

What African country gained independence in 1847?

Liberia

Who were Denver Smith and Leonard Brown and what posthumous honor did they receive?

Two Southern University students killed by police during a peaceful student protest on campus. The student union is named in their honor.

Frederick Douglass saw what controversy concerning the celebration of the 4th of July?

Independence Day. Many African Americans were enslaved when the holiday was first celebrated.

Name the two stars of “Just Mercy”.

Michael B. Jordan, Jamie Foxx

Bryan Stevenson also established the Legacy Museum. Part of that museum recognizes and honors many African Americans who have been lynched. In what city is the museum located?

Montgomery, Alabama

In 1964, the regular Democratic Party in Mississippi would not allow African Americans to join and vote. Because of this, this sharecropper helped to form the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party.

Fannie Lou Hamer

In 1939, she recorded “Strange Fruit”. Name her and tell what the song is about.

Billie Holiday; lynchings

In what city was Dr. King assassinated and why was he in that city?

Memphis; to support the sanitation workers strike.

Who started “Let’s Move” to fight childhood obesity and what is the title of her latest book?

Michelle Obama; “Becoming” and “The Light We Carry”

Who was the MVP in last year’s NBA All Star Game and how many points did he score?

Stephen Curry, 50 points

What South African TV comedian wrote the book “Born A Crime’ and why was it so named?

Trevor Noah; His father was White and his mother was African. Their marriage was illegal at the time in South Africa.

What was the book “The Color of Food” by Natasha Bowen about?

African Americans and other farmers of color

What is the shortened name of the Southeastern African American Farmers Organic Network and what is its purpose?

SAAFON; to assist farmers in growing organically

Actress Cynthia Erivo won an Academy Award for her role as what legendary woman?

Harriet Tubman

Dr. King was the first president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). Name one other founding member.

Ralph Abernathy, Joseph Lowery, Bayard Rustin