Black Icons Shaping the Music Industry
Black History of Chicago
Civil Rights Movement Moments and Leaders
Eras of Black Artists
Legendary Black Athletes
100
This 21st century icon has won a Grammy in all 5 of these genres. Pop, R&B, rap, Dance/Electronic, and Country
Who is Beyoncé?
Fun Fact: The first Black woman to win Best Country Album and top the Billboard country charts. Beyoncé also holds the record for most Grammys 👏🏾
100
True or False: Chicago is considered one of the most segregated cities in the country.
True
*In the early 20th century, racially restrictive covenants were widely used to prevent Black residents from purchasing homes in White neighborhoods, inflating prices in Black communities. Later, predatory contract-buying schemes in the 1950s-60s cost Black families between $3 billion and $4 billion in lost wealth.*
https://www.chicagoreporter.com/chicagos-250-year-history-of-segregation/
100
This minister and activist delivered the famous ’I Have a Dream‘ speech at the 1963 March on Washington.
Who is Martin Luther King Jr.?
100
What artist's song spells out R-E-S-P-E-C-T?
hint: Queen of Soul
Who is Aretha Franklin?
*All drawn from her African American gospel roots. It was she who brought the melisma - singing a series of notes over a single syllable - into popular music.*
https://nmaahc.si.edu/explore/stories/queen-soul-appreciation
100
This basketball legend, known as won six NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls.
hint: Some may refer to him as the GOAT
Who is Michael Jordan?
200
Nicknamed 'The Godfather of Soul,' this icon was known for his electrifying performances and songs like 'I Got You (I Feel Good).
Who is James Brown?
*fun fact: Reportedly sweating off up to seven pounds a night, Brown was a captivating performer who’d incorporate a furious regimen of spins, drops and shtick (such as feigning a heart attack, complete with the ritual donning and doffing of capes and a fevered return to the stage) into his skintight rhythm & blues.*
https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxB-pC9RuL2QzvbpVSTJVwaBjBRQAdK1rv?si=UysQyQlRpEtMotXT
200
What is the movement of millions of African Americans from rural communities in the South to urban areas (like Chicago) in Northern and Western states during the 20th century?
What is the Great Migration?
* CSeeking to escape segregation and racial violence in the Jim Crow South and eager for better economic opportunities, 1.6 million southern Blacks moved north and west starting in the 1910s seeking improved education and employment*
200
This tragic 1955 murder of a 14-year-old Chicago boy in Mississippi helped spark the Civil Rights Movement and brought national attention to racial violence.
What is Emmitt Till?
*Till attended McCosh Elementary from 1951 to 1955 (grades 5-8). In 2006, McCosh Elementary was renamed the Emmett Louis Till Math and Science Academy, a magnet school for the fine and performing arts. *
200
This 2018 superhero film, directed by Ryan Coogler, became a cultural phenomenon, celebrating African heritage and breaking box-office records as the highest-grossing film by a Black director.
hint:SZA and Kendrick collaborated on the leading song of the soundtrack, 'All the Stars. '
What is 'Black Panther'?
200
She holds the record for the most Grand Slam singles titles in the Open Era, with 23 major wins.
300
Who wrote the world's best-selling record of all time in the 80’s, selling an estimated 50 million copies worldwide?
hint: 'King of Pop'
Who is Michael Jackson?
*Michael Jackson broke a number of barriers for Black Americans including being the first Black artist to have a video in regular rotation on MTV, the first Black global pop icon who will forever be the King of Pop, by setting and breaking sales records throughout his career, including the long-established record for the biggest selling album of all time for 'Thriller' *
300
Who founded the city of Chicago?
Who is Jean Baptise Point du Sable?
*Jean Baptiste Point du Sable is considered the founder of Chicago. He was the first permanent non-Indigenous person, coming from Haiti, to settle in the area that would become Chicago. *
300
This event, sparked by Rosa Parks arrest in 1955, led to a yearlong boycott of public transportation and helped launch the Civil Rights Movement.
What is the Montgomery Bus Boycott?
300
This early 20th-century movement, centered in Harlem, celebrated Black culture and produced artists like Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, and Josephine Baker.
*hint: era of cotton clubs, jazz, and the Black Pride movement with leaders like Du Bois working to ensure that Black Americans got the credit they deserved for cultural areas of life
What is the Harlem Renaissance?
300
This baseball legend broke Major League Baseball’s color barrier when he debuted in 1947.
400
This rapper became the first solo hip-hop artist inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2017. This icon Tupac inspired many rappers today such as Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole, Eminem, and Snoop Dogg.
Hint: Who sang "California Love"?
Who is Tupac Shakur?
“I’m not saying I’m going to change the world, but I guarantee that I will spark the brain that will change the world.”
*https://www.yongeentertainment.com/rcb/black-history-month-spotlight-tupac-shakur*
400
What are the chain of neighborhoods on the South Side of Chicago where three-quarters of the city's African-American population lived by the mid-20th century.
hint: holds the same name as the highest rank in martial arts
What is the Blackbelt of Chicago?
*fter World War II, African Americans in Chicago faced overcrowded housing in the "Black Belt," with families living in small, divided apartments with poor conditions such as lack of bathrooms, heating, and dangerous, flammable partitions. The overcrowding led to health issues, including higher rates of infant mortality, tuberculosis, and rat infestations.*
https://www.chipublib.org/housing/
400
The NAACP played a key role in the passage of this 1965 legislation (act), which aimed to eliminate racial discrimination in voting.
What is the Voting Rights of 1965?
*Just eight days after Martin Luther King, Jr. led a peaceful civil rights march in Selma, Alabama, President Lyndon B. Johnson announced his intention to pass a federal Voting Rights Act to ensure that no federal, state, or local government could in any way impede people from voting because of their race or ethnicity. He signed the Voting Rights Act into law later that year, banning racial discriminatory practices in voting, including literacy tests*
https://naacp.org/find-resources/history-explained/legislative-milestones/voting-rights-act-1965
400
This legendary poet, author, and civil rights activist wrote I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings and became the first Black woman to have her poetry read at a U.S. presidential inauguration.
Who is Maya Angelou?
*Maya Angelou was the first Black woman to direct a major Hollywood film in 1971. *
400
This olympian with 7 gold metals was quoted on Dancing With the Stars saying, “Smiling doesn’t win you goal medals.”
500
Who was the first black artist to win the Grammy for Album of the Year in 1973?
Hint: "Isn't she lovely..."
Who is Stevie Wonder?
*During the 1970s he was at the forefront of embracing new technologies in music pioneering the use of synthesizers, drum machines, and sampling. His nature documentary soundtrack “Steve Wonder’s Journey Through the Secret Life of Plants” was one of the earliest digital recordings ever released. His use of technology changed the conventions of R&B, and his critical and commercial success and advocacy for the use of technology played a leading role in changing attitudes about the use of electronic music.*
500
What is a violent racial conflict started by white Americans against black Americans that began on the South Side on July 27 and ended on August 3, 1919.
What is the 1919 Chicago race riot?
* 38 people died and 1,000 to 2,000 black people lost their homes. It is considered the worst set of riots and civil disturbances across the nation during the “Red Summer” of 1919.*
https://www.britannica.com/event/Chicago-Race-Riot-of-1919
500
What does the NAACP stand for?
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
*The NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) is a civil rights organization founded in 1909 to fight for the rights and equality of African Americans in the United States. It was established in response to the ongoing racial violence and discrimination faced by African Americans, particularly in the South, and was driven by a desire to secure political, educational, social, and economic equality.*
500
Jean Michael Basquiat is famous for what type of art?
*hint: often known as 'street art' however his work often combined imagery from African American culture, history, and the street art scene
What is neo-expressionist paintings and graffiti art?
*Basquiat’s artwork remains highly sought after, with several pieces breaking auction records. His influence has expanded into the global art market, regarded as a groundbreaking contribution to the Neo-Expressionism movement.*
500
Known as "The King," LeBron has won NBA championships with these three teams.
(name at least two)
What are the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat, and Los Angeles Lakers?
https://thegreyhoundnews.com/5298/school-news/celebrating-black-history-month-lebron-james/
