Canadian Ties
Black Music
General Knowledge
Black Athletes
Black Pop Culture
100
Identify this canadian woman who is on our $10 bill?
Viola Desmond
She is commonly known as Canada’s Rosa Parks, as she refused to move from her seat in the ‘whites-only’ section of the Roseland theatre in Nova Scotia.
100
What music genre, characterized by its use of turntables and sampling, was founded in Black American communities in the Bronx, New York, in the 1970s?
Hip Hop
Hip-hop is a genre characterized by stylized rhythmic sounds, often built around disco grooves, electronic drum beats and rapping.
100
During the 19th century, how did enslaved people in the United States escape to Canada (and other nearby countries)?
The Underground Railroad
The underground railroad was created in the early 19th century by abolitionists in Philadelphia. It was a complex network of people and safe houses that helped enslaved people in the South escape to the North.
The railroad operated until the 13th amendment of the US constitution banned enslavement in 1865. An estimated 30,000 to 40,000 freedom seekers entered Canada during the last decades of enslavement.
100
Born Cassius Clay Jr, this renowned boxer is widely recognized as one of the most significant athletes of the 20th century.
Muhammad Ali
Though best remembered for his boxing and anti-war activism, Ali was also a talented poet who incorporated his artistic endeavours into his athletic pursuits, and later campaigned for rights for those suffering from Parkinson’s disease.
100
This woman was the first Black American woman to own her own production company. She was once television’s highest-paid entertainer as the successful host of a syndicated television talk show that reached 15 million people a day.
Oprah Winfrey
200
What month is Emancipation Day celebrated in Canada?
Emancipation Day occurs in August (August 1st) in Canada and marks the day that the Slavery Abolition Act came into effect across the British empire in 1834.
Emancipation Day celebrates the strength and perseverance of Black communities in Canada.
200
This motown hit by the Marvelettes reached number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1961.
Please Mr. Postman
200
In what decade did the celebration of Black History Month Begin?
The 1970s
The first Black History Month was proposed by educators and students at Kent State University in 1969 and was officially celebrated January 2nd to February 28th, 1970.
200
This woman is regarded as one of the best female tennis players in the world. She has won the most Grand Slam singles titles in the open era (23).
She and her older sister have been accredited with revolutionizing female tennis.
Serena Williams
200
This renowned singer and jazz pianist was the first Black American to host a TV show
Nat King Cole who hosted NBC's The Nat King Cole Show in 1956 with 5 seasons!
300
Robert Sutherland earned his law degree from which Canadian University, making him the first Black graduate and lawyer in Canada?
Queen's University
Robert Sutherland was born in Jamaica in 1830, and immigrated to Canada to study at Queen’s University in 1849. He graduated in 1852.
He was the first person of color to attend university and graduate in Canada, as well as the first Black lawyer. He practiced for over 20 years. After his death in 1878, he bestowed his estate of $12,000 to Queen’s University.
300
As the most nominated artist in music history with a total of 99 Grammy nominations, this artist received a Grammy for her album Cowboy Carter in 2025.
Beyoncé
She won Album of the Year at the 2025 Grammys for her genre-bending country album Cowboy Carter, becoming the first Black woman to win the award this century. The Houston-native's project also won Best Country Album, celebrating the Black roots of country music.
300
Celebrated on June 19th, this federal holiday in the U.S. commemorates the end of slavery in the United States
Juneteenth
Juneteenth, or June Nineteenth, commemorates June 19, 1865, when Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas, to announce the end of slavery, liberating the last enslaved African Americans in the Confederacy over two years after the Emancipation Proclamation. It's celebrated as a federal holiday (Juneteenth National Independence Day) to honor African American freedom, culture, resilience, and the ongoing pursuit of equality, marked by festivals, parades, and reflections on history.
300
This baseball player was the first African-American to win an MVP award in Major League Baseball in 1949
Jackie Robinson
Jackie Robinson was the first Black player in the MLB since 1884, and his debut brought an end to sixty years of segregation in professional baseball. He began playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947 and won MVP for the National League in 1949.
Branch Rickey, GM of the Dodgers, sent Robinson to the Montreal Royals in 1946 (their AAA affiliate) to ease him into integrated baseball, choosing Montreal for its relatively tolerant atmosphere.
300
In 2016, this modern comedian wrote Born a Crime, a memoir about his experience growing up mixed-race in Apartheid South Africa.
Trevor Noah
In the memoir, Trevor Noah recounts his childhood in South Africa under the apartheid government and the first few years of democratic rule by the nation’s black majority. Born in 1984 to a black Xhosa mother and a white Swiss expatriate father, Noah is not merely an anomaly in apartheid South Africa; his existence is actually illegal because the regime outlawed relationships between people of different races. While the 18 chapters of Born a Crime generally trace Noah’s childhood from his birth to the beginning of his comedy career after high school, they consist of vignettes rather than a linear story. Each chapter also begins with a short preface, generally about the social and historical context behind the events Noah recounts.
400
Which province had a historically Black settlement before being demolished in the 1960s.
Nova Scotia
Africville was a historic Black community in Halifax, Nova Scotia, settled in the 18th century, that faced systemic neglect, forced relocation, and demolition in the 1960s. The site is now a national historic site and memorial park, symbolizing the struggle against racism and segregation in Canada. 
400
Known as the King of Calypso, passed away in 2023 at the age of 96. He won three Grammy awards, an Emmy and an Tony for his music. Some of his most famous songs include Day-O (The Banana Boat Song) and Jump in the Line (Shake, Senora).
Harry Belafonte
400
What movement was founded in 2013 by Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors and Opal Tometi and reemerged in 2020 following protests against police brutality?
Black Lives Matter Movement
400
In 2015, this (now former) Montreal Canadien player announced his commitment to raise $10 million for the Montreal Children’s hospital by 2022. The hospital called it the "biggest philanthropic commitment by a sports figure in Canadian history".
He is known for his colorful personality and his sense of fashion and he is a spokesman for RW&CO.
P.K. Subban
The now retired hockey player was on teams such as the Montreal Canadiens, Nashville Predators, and New Jersey Devils. Desite leaving Montreal, he made sure to leave a legacy for his former team's city. Subban donated $10 million Montreal General Children's Hospital. The hospital called Subban's donation “the biggest philanthropic commitment by a sports figure in Canadian history.
400
This actress was the first Black person to win an Oscar for her supporting role as Mammy in Gone with the Wind (1939).
Hattie McDaniel
In 1940, Hattie McDaniel became the first Black person to win an Oscar, for her supporting role in Gone With the Wind. Twenty-four years later, Sidney Poitier became the first Black man to win an Oscar, for his leading role in Lilies of the Field.
500
The last segregated school in Canada, just outside Halifax, in Lincolnville, Nova Scotia, closed in what year?
1983
The last racially segregated school in Canada was in Lincolnville, Nova Scotia, closing in 1983, following earlier closures of segregated schools in Ontario (1965) and other provinces, with legislation like the 1977 Canadian Human Rights Act helping to end these practices, though informal segregation persisted longer.
500
For the epic finale of Netflix's series Stranger Things, The Duffer brothers were granted the rights from Prince's estate to use 2 songs from his 1984 album. Identify one of the two songs.
Purple Rain
When Doves Cry
500
What does the acronym HBCU stand for?
Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)
HBCUs are institutions founded before 1964 to provide higher education for African Americans when they were largely excluded from other colleges, offering undergraduate and graduate degrees and playing a vital role in developing Black leaders, professionals (like engineers, lawyers, judges), and academics, with key examples including Howard, Spelman, Morehouse, and Florida A&M.
Canada does not have Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) because its history of racial segregation in education differs from the U.S., but Canadian universities offer programs supporting Black students, like Dalhousie's nursing seats for Black/Indigenous students and Black Studies minors, plus pathways for Black Canadians to attend U.S. HBCUs for that distinct experience.
500
Canada's most decorated male Olympian, a seven-time Olympic medalist (including two golds) known for sprinting success in the 100m, 200m, and relays, becoming the first Canadian to medal in all three sprint events at a single Games in Rio 2016 and achieving another 200m gold in Tokyo 2020
Andre De Grasse
Born in Scarborough Ontario, Andre De Grasse is the first Canadian to break both the 10-second barrier in the 100 m dash and the 20-second barrier in the 200 m dash. He burst onto the international stage at age 20, winning double gold at the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto. The first Canadian sprinter to win three medals at a single Olympic Games, De Grasse won silver and two bronze at the 2016 Olympic Summer Games, gold, bronze and silver at the 2020 Games, and gold in the men’s 4x100 m at the 2024 Games. De Grasse also holds the Canadian record in the men’s 200 m (19.62 seconds). He and swimmer Penny Oleksiak are Canada’s most decorated Olympians, with seven medals each.
500
Quinta Brunson became the first Black woman to get three Emmy nominations in one year, and then became the second Black woman to win the Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series for what show?
Abbott Elementary
Abbott Elementary is a mockumentary sitcom about dedicated teachers at a struggling, predominantly Black public school in Philadelphia, led by the optimistic second-grade teacher Janine Teagues (Quinta Brunson). Despite chronic underfunding and bureaucratic hurdles, the passionate staff—including veteran teachers Barbara Howard, Melissa Schemmenti, and newcomer substitute Gregory Eddie—find creative ways to support their students, often clashing with the tone-deaf principal Ava Coleman but forming a strong, loving community. The show blends humor with heartwarming moments, highlighting the challenges and triumphs of public education through its ensemble cast.