Civil Right Leaders
Famous Firsts
NPHC History
Black History at Purdue
Black History in Sports?
100

He delivered the iconic "I Have a Dream" speech during the 1963 March on Washington

Who is MLK?

100

In 2008, he made history by becoming the first African American President of the United States.

Who is Barack Obama?

100

"First of All, Servants of All, We Shall Transcend All" is the motto of this organization, the first intercollegiate Greek-letter fraternity established for African Americans.

What is Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.?

100

Dedicated in 1970, this campus facility features distinctive architecture inspired by ancient Africa and serves as a central hub for understanding African American heritage.

What is the Black Cultural Center (BCC)

100

At the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin, this track and field star famously shattered the myth of Aryan supremacy by winning four gold medals.

Who is Jesse Owens?

200

The activist famously sparked the Montgomery bus boycott in 1955 where she refused to give up her seat

Who is Rosa Parks?

200

In 1947, he broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball when he started at first base for the Brooklyn Dodgers.

Who is Jackie Robinson?

200

Founded in 1963 at Morgan State University during the height of the Civil Rights Movement, this is the youngest of the Divine Nine organizations.

What is Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc.?

200

In 1890, George W. Lacey became the first Black graduate of Purdue University, earning his degree in this specific medical field.

What is Pharmacy?

200

Before adopting his Muslim name, this legendary heavyweight boxer and activist won a gold medal at the 1960 Olympics under the name Cassius Clay.

Who is Muhammad Ali?

300

A prominent figure in the Nation of Islam, he powerfully articulated concepts of race pride and black nationalism in the 1950s and 60s

Who is Malcolm X?

300

In 2022, she became the first African American woman to serve as a Justice on the United States Supreme Court

Who is Ketanji Brown Jackson?

300

Founded in 1922, this is the only Divine Nine sorority established at a predominantly white institution (Butler University) rather than Howard University.

What is Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc.?

300

In 1975, Purdue served as the founding site and hosted the first national conference for this major collegiate society dedicated to Black STEM students.

What is the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE)

300

In 1960, she overcame childhood polio to become the first American woman to win three gold medals in track and field at a single Olympic Games.

Who is Wilma Rudolph?

400

She was leading investigative journalist and civil rights leader who led an anti-lynching crusade in the US in the 1890's

Who is Ida B. Wells?

400

In 1968, she made history as the first African American woman elected to the United States Congress.

Who is Shirley Chisholm?

400

These two organizations, founded in 1914 and 1920 respectively, are the only NPHC fraternity and sorority to be constitutionally bound to each other.

What are Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. and Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc.?

400

$400 Answer: Established in 1974 with Marion Blalock as its inaugural director, this specific university program was created to support and retain underrepresented students pursuing degrees in disciplines like electrical engineering.

What is the Minority Engineering Program (MEP)?

400

In 1960, this legendary Ethiopian distance runner became the first Black African to win an Olympic gold medal, famously winning the marathon in Rome while running entirely barefoot.


Who is Abebe Bikila?

500

This civil rights activist and future Congressman was one of the original 13 Freedom Riders and helped organize the 1963 March on Washington.

Who is John Lewis?

500

He was the first African American to win the Academy Award for Best Actor, taking home the Oscar for his role in the 1963 film "Lilies of the Field.

Who is Sidney Poitier?
500

Originally chartered in Indianapolis in 1920, this specific chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi officially moved its charter to Purdue University in 1968.

Question: What is the Nu Chapter?

500

Hired in 1968 as an instructor in French and a counselor, she made history as the very first African American faculty member at Purdue.

Question: Who is Helen Bass Williams?


500

Decades before Venus and Serena Williams, she broke the color barrier in international tennis, becoming the first African American to win a Grand Slam title at the 1956 French Championships.

Who is Althea Gibson?

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