Old School vs. New School Music
This funk innovator’s band, The J.B.’s, laid the rhythmic foundation for countless hip‑hop samples, especially through tracks like “Funky Drummer.”
Who is James Brown
This 1970s sitcom was the first to feature a two‑parent Black household on primetime TV, centered around Florida and James raising their kids in a Chicago housing project.
What is Good Times?
This mathematician, portrayed in Hidden Figures, calculated the trajectory for NASA’s first American in space.
Who is Katherine Johnson?
This leafy green, slow‑simmered with smoked turkey or ham hock, is considered a symbol of prosperity and resilience in many Black families.
What is collard greens?
Often said when a child is pouting or looking upset, this phrase warns them to fix their facial expression before consequences follow.
What is "Fix Your Face"?
Known for hits like “Crazy in Love,” this Houston-born superstar is one of the most awarded artists of the modern era.
Who is Beyonce?
This 1991 film by John Singleton made him the youngest person ever nominated for Best Director, and the first Black American nominated in the category.
What is Boys In The Hood?
This mathematician, portrayed in Hidden Figures, calculated the trajectory for NASA’s first American in space.
Who is Alexander Miles?
Often served at Sunday dinners, this dish gets its signature golden crust from baking elbow macaroni in a custard‑style mixture of eggs, milk, and multiple cheeses.
What is baked macaroni and cheese?
Said right before a parent gives a child a chore, this phrase means “come here,” but it’s really a setup for more work.
What is "Come Here Real Quick"?
This avant‑garde soul artist’s 2010 album The ArchAndroid fused Afrofuturism, funk, and orchestral pop, earning comparisons to Prince and Sun Ra.
Who is Janelle Monae?
Before becoming a global star, this actress played Khadijah’s cousin Synclaire on the 90s sitcom Living Single, known for her quirky humor and “woo woo woo.”
Who is Kim Coles?
This civil rights strategist, often called “the architect of the March on Washington,” was a master organizer whose contributions were long overshadowed due to his sexuality. Netflix made a movie his life named after this person.
Who is Bayard Rustin?
This dessert, made with layers of vanilla wafers, custard, and sliced fruit, became a staple in Black households thanks to church potlucks and repast tables.
What is banana pudding?
This classic expression, usually said after a child questions instructions, means “stop talking back” and signals the end of the discussion.
What is "Because I Said So".
Before becoming a solo icon, this artist wrote hits for Aaliyah, Destiny’s Child, and Usher, shaping both late‑90s R&B and early‑2000s pop.
Who is Missy Elliott?
This 1989 film by Spike Lee introduced the character Radio Raheem and the iconic “Love/Hate” rings, symbolizing the film’s central moral conflict.
What is Do The Right Thing?
This pioneering Black woman journalist traveled the South in the 1890s documenting lynchings, risking her life to expose racial violence.
Who is Ida B. Wells?
This slow‑cooked dish, rooted in West African culinary traditions, combines okra, tomatoes, onions, and seafood or sausage, and is especially tied to the Gulf Coast.
What is gumbo?
Usually said when a kid is breathing too loud, chewing too loud, or simply existing too loud, this phrase means “calm down before you get on my nerves.”
What is "Don't make me come over there"?
This jazz pianist and composer blended bebop with hip‑hop on his 2005 album The Real Thing, influencing a new generation of genre‑mixing musicians.
Who is Robert Glasper?
This short‑lived but groundbreaking 1960s TV drama starred Bill Cosby and Robert Culp as interracial secret agents, marking the first time a Black actor led a network drama.
What is I Spy?
This inventor and agricultural scientist developed hundreds of products from peanuts, sweet potatoes, and pecans, though he never patented most of them because he believed knowledge should be shared.
Who is George Washington Carver?
This traditional New Year’s dish pairs black‑eyed peas with rice and seasonings, symbolizing luck and abundance, and has origins in the Gullah Geechee community.
Who is Hoppin' John?
Usually said when a child asks for this specific fast food.
What is "Do you have McDonald's money"?