Black History Round 2

Black History in Film

200

This 2016 film tells the story of three African-American women mathematicians at NASA, including Katherine Johnson, who helped send astronauts to space.

Hidden Figures 

400

This 2013 movie named after his Dodgers jersey number depicts the life of Jackie Robinson, who broke Major League Baseball's colour barrier. 

42 

600

This 2019 film starring Cynthia Erivo chronicles the life of Harriet Tubman, the escaped slave who led others to freedom via the Underground Railroad.

Harriet 

800

This 2013 film stars Chiwetel Ejiofor as a man who escapes slavery and becomes free, based on the true story of Solomon Northup.

12 Years a Slave

1000

This 1997 film depicts the life of boxer Jack Johnson, the first African-American heavyweight champion.

The Great White Hope

Black Inventions

200

This invention made long-distance communication possible without an operator.

The telephone transmitter (microphone) – Granville T. Woods 

Granville T. Woods patented an important telephone transmitter in 1884 that combined telephone and telegraph technology, making calls clearer and longer-distance, and sold the rights to Alexander Graham Bell's company. Known as the "Black Edison," Woods secured nearly 60 patents for inventions like the Synchronous Multiplex Railway Telegraph, which revolutionized train communication, and power pickup devices for trolleys, earning him recognition but often leaving him penniless as he sold many patents to major companies like General Electric and Westinghouse. 

400

This beauty tool was improved by Madam C.J. Walker’s company to help straighten and smooth curly, coarse or textured hair.

Madam C.J. Walker is famously associated with the hot comb, which she significantly improved by widening its teeth for African American hair and patenting it, making it central to her successful hair care empire, though the tool itself existed before her, and she built upon the work of pioneers like Annie Turnbo Malone, revolutionizing Black hair care and empowering Black women through her products and business model, becoming America's first self-made female millionaire.

600

This invention made home security more accessible through video monitoring.

The home security system – Marie Van Brittan Brown

Marie Van Brittan Brown invented the first home security system in 1966 with her husband, Albert, creating a prototype that laid the groundwork for modern CCTV and smart home security, featuring multiple peepholes, a sliding camera, two-way communication, and a remote-controlled lock and alarm button to contact police, addressing safety concerns from rising crime in her Queens neighborhood.  

800

This medical invention allows blood to be stored and saved lives in WWII.

Dr. Charles Drew revolutionized blood banking by developing methods to separate, store, and preserve blood plasma, enabling it to last longer and be shipped widely, which saved countless lives in World War II; he established the first large-scale blood banks and created standardized procedures, including mobile blood collection units (bloodmobiles), making him the "Father of the Blood Bank". His innovations allowed for plasma to be given to anyone, regardless of blood type, by separating it from blood cells, and he developed techniques to dry and rehydrate it. 

1000

A Black inventor created this item to improve the transport industry.

The refrigerator cooling system  – Frederick McKinley Jones 

Frederick McKinley Jones revolutionized the transportation of perishable goods by inventing the first successful automatic refrigeration system for trucks. This innovation, patented in 1940, eliminated the use of ice and salt for long-distance transport, thus creating the modern cold chain logistics industry.

 

HBCU Alumni

200

This woman originally from Mississippi, graduated from Howard University and went on to become a legendary talk show host and media mogul. 

Oprah Winfrey

400

This civil rights leader attended Morehouse College and became one of the most influential voices of the 20th century.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. entered Morehouse College in 1944 as an early-admission student at the age of 15 and graduated in 1948 with a B.A. in Sociology. 

King’s worldview was heavily influenced by Morehouse President Dr. Benjamin E. Mays, who introduced him to Mahatma Gandhi's teachings on nonviolence. 

King was a third-generation Morehouse student, following his grandfather, Adam Daniel Williams (Class of 1898), and father, Martin Luther King Sr. (Class of 1930)

600

This  former U.S. Vice President attended Howard University for her Bachelor's degree before attending law school at U.C. San Francisco.

Kamala Harris 

Kamala Harris lived in Montreal while her mother worked as a researcher at McGill University. She graduated from Westmount High School on Montreal Island in 1981. She attended Vanier College in Montreal from 1981 to 1982 before enrolling at Howard University, a historically Black university in Washington, D.C. While at Howard, she became a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha, one of the “Divine Nine” historically Black sororities. She graduated in 1986 with a degree in political science and economics. Harris later attended the University of California, Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco, where she served as president of the Black Law Students Association. She earned her Juris Doctor in 1989.

800

This late Grammy-winning artist attended Howard University, studied theater, and later starred in major Hollywood films like Black Panther

Chadwick Boseman

Chadwick Boseman (1976–2020) was a distinguished alumnus of Howard University, where he graduated in 2000 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.) in Directing. His relationship with the university was foundational to his career, and Howard has since established several permanent tributes to honor his legacy after his death from colon cancer in 2020.

In 2021, Howard University officially renamed its reestablished fine arts program the Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts. 

1000

This award-winning filmmaker and director of Do the Right Thing is a graduate of Morehouse College.

Spike Lee

Spike Lee is a prominent alumnus of Morehouse College, where he graduated with a B.A. in mass communication in 1979. He is also a third-generation Morehouse Man. After earning his bachelor's degree, he pursued graduate studies at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, where he received a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in film and television in 1982.

Barrier Breakers

200

He became the first Black President of the United States 

Barack Obama 

400

This 2009 Disney film introduced Princess Tiana, the first Black Disney princess.

The Princess and the Frog

600

This 2015 Broadway musical told the story of Alexander Hamilton but made history for having a mostly Black and Latino cast in lead roles.

Hamilton

800

In 2018, this Marvel film became the first major superhero movie with a predominantly Black cast and a Black lead character to earn over a billion dollars worldwide.

Black Panther

1000

This African-American author became the first Black woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1983 for The Color Purple.

Alice Walker

Motown Hits

200

“You can’t hurry love, no, you just have to wait.”

You Can’t Hurry Love – The Supremes

400

“Very superstitious, writing’s on the wall, very superstitious, ladder’s ’bout to fall.”

Superstition – Stevie Wonder

600

“I’ve got sunshine on a cloudy day, makes me happy.”

My Girl – The Temptations

800

“Before you break my heart, consider the love we’ve built together.”

Stop! In the Name of Love – The Supremes

1000

"Tonight’s the night I’m breaking free, no more hiding who I am, I’m stepping into the light."

I’m Coming Out – Diana Ross