Black History + Politics
This landmark federal law outlawed discriminatory voting practices that had prevented many African Americans from voting
What is the Voting Rights Act of 1965?
This was a progenitor in Black womanist thought, who wrote the book “In Search of Our Warrior Mothers"
Who was Alice Walker?
This was the first African American woman to headline Coachella
Who is Beyonce?
This was the year that the W.E.B. Du Bois Department of Afro-American Studies was established at UMass Amherst
When was 1970?
This was the first Black woman to go to space
Who is Mae Jemison?
This was the first Black student to integrate Little Rock Central High School in 1957
Who was Elizabeth Eckford (of the Little Rock Nine)
This Harlem Renaissance writer penned the iconic poem “The Negro Speakers of River and co-founded the Fire!! an African American literary magazine
Who is Langston Hughes?
This was the second historically Black sorority to be founded
What is Delta Sigma Theta?
This legendary jazz drummer was one of the first jazz musicians to teach full-time at the college level and joined the faculty of W.E.B Du Bois in 1972
Who is Max Roach?
This person invented the three-way traffic light
Who was Garret Morgan?
This critical theorist’s work on racial capitalism argues that the very foundations of modern capitalist economies are intertwined with racialized exploitation
Who is Cedric Robinson?
This was the first African American woman to receive an Obie Award for her play in 1955
What is Trouble in Mind by Alice Childress
This was the first rap song to win a Grammy Award for both Song and Record of the Year at the same time
What was Childish Gambino’s This is America?
This was the first annual student publication chronicling the Black literary experience to exist at UMass from 1969-1988
What was The Drum magazine?
This TV show is known for highlighting Historically Black Colleges/Universities where the students attended Hillman University
What is “A Different World”?
In 1960, This Supreme Court case ruled that a state violated the Fifteenth Amendment when it created electoral districts to deny equal representation to African Americans
What is Gomillion v. Lightfoot?
This legendary guitarist, known as the “King of Blues,” influenced rock icons like Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton
Who is B.B. King?
This person co-founded the National Negro League in 1920 to provide opportunities for black baseball players during segregation
Who was Andrew “Rube” Foster?
This person was the longest-serving chair in the DuBois Department
Who is Esther Terry?
This was the year and team that Jackie Robinson joined, making history by being the first African American to play Major League Baseball
What is Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947?
In his comprehensive analysis of reparations, this economist argues that compensatory measures for African Americans are essential to address centuries of economic exploitation
Who is William A. Darity Jr.?
This song was released by Peacock Records in February 1953 and was Big Mama Thornton’s only hit record, selling over 500,000 copies
What is “Hound Dog”
This famous African American fashion designer was the first Black American to head a French luxury fashion house, specifically with Louis Vuitton
Who was Virgil Abloh?
This Nigerian author briefly taught in the Du Bois department in the 1970s
Who is Chinua Achebe?
This graduate student in the English department became the first chair of the W.E.B. Du Bois Department
Ekwueme Michael Thelwell