Black Entertainment
Historical Highlights
Literary Legends
"Firsts" in History
POTPOURRI
100
This "AG Baby" and member of the Lagos royal family was known as the "King of Photoshop" before becoming a global Afrobeats star with hits like "Sade" and "Party No Dey Stop."
Who is Adekunle Gold?
100
This time period, in the 1920's, was a large flourishing of African American art, music, and literature, centered in New York city.
What is the Harlem Renaissance?
100
This contemporary Nigerian author’s 2013 novel Americanah explores race and identity across three continents, and her TED Talk "The Danger of a Single Story" has millions of views.
Who is Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie?
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100
In 2008, he was elected the 44th President of the United States, becoming the first African American to hold the office.
Who is Barack Obama?
100
Unlike its neighbors, this East African nation successfully resisted Italian colonization at the 1896 Battle of Adwa and is considered Africa's oldest independent country.
What is Ethiopia?
200
His 1982 album Thriller remains the best-selling album of all time, fundamentally changing the music video landscape.
Who is Michael Jackson?
200
This landmark Supreme Court case in 1954 declared state-sponsored segregation in public schools unconstitutional.
What is Brown v. Board of Education?
200
This author's works, such as "Go Tell It on the Mountain" and "Notes of a Native Son," explored themes of race, sexuality, and class in American society.
Who is James Baldwin?
200
After 27 years in prison, he became the first Black head of state of South Africa, elected in the country's first fully representative democratic election.
Who is Nelson Mandela?
200
In 1791, this Caribbean nation saw the only successful slave revolt in history, leading to it becoming the world's first Black-led republic.
What is Haiti?
300
Self-proclaimed the "African Giant," this Nigerian superstar’s 2020 album Twice as Tall won the Grammy for Best Global Music Album.
Who is Burna Boy?
300
This significant event in 1963, where Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech, was a major moment in the Civil Rights Movement.
What is the March on Washington?
300
This science fiction author, known for her prophetic and socially conscious works, explored themes of climate change, social collapse, and the search for community in her dystopian novel, "Parable of the Sower."
Who is Octavia Butler?
300
First African American to earn a doctorate from Harvard University:
Who is W.E.B. Du Bois?
300
She revolutionized the hair care industry and is recognized as the first female self-made millionaire in America.
Who is Madam C.J. Walker?
400
This singer, known as "The High Priestess of Soul," performed powerful songs like "Feeling Good."
Who is Nina Simone?
400
Dr. Kwame Nkrumah was a leading proponent of this movement, which advocated for the political and economic unity of all African people.
What is Pan-Africanism?
400
In 1959, this play became the first by a Black woman to be produced on Broadway; its title is taken from a line in a Langston Hughes poem about a "dream deferred."
What is A Raisin in the Sun?
400
First African American to win the Nobel Prize in Literature
Who is Toni Morrison?
400
In 2018, this founder of the brand Off-White made history as the first African American artistic director of menswear at Louis Vuitton.
Who is Virgil Abloh?
500
In 2014, this Kenyan actress became the first from her country to win an Academy Award, earning Best Supporting Actress for 12 Years a Slave.
Who is Lupita Nyong'o?
500
This abolitionist and women's rights advocate delivered the famous "Ain't I a Woman?" speech.
Who is Sojourner Truth?
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500
His 1958 masterpiece Things Fall Apart is the most widely read book in modern African literature and depicts the clash between Igbo culture and British colonialism.
Who is Chinua Achebe?
500
This is the first black person to win the Ballon d'Or
Who is George Weah?
500
Inspired by the national flag, this is the official nickname of the Ghana men's national football team.
What are the Black Stars?