Vintage Vibes (90s Culture & Music)
This 1990 MC Hammer hit and its signature dance made parachute pants a fashion staple across the country.
U Can't Touch This
This Civil War regiment, composed of African American soldiers from Massachusetts, became famous for its bravery during the assault on Fort Wagner in 1863.
A. Harlem Hellfighters
B. 92nd Infantry Division
C. 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment
D. Tuskegee Airmen
54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment
This Oklahoma native and newspaper publisher founded the Black Dispatch in Oklahoma City and helped promote the WWII “Double V” campaign—victory against fascism abroad and racism at home.
A. Ralph Bunche
B. Roscoe Dunjee
C. A. Philip Randolph
D. Medgar Evers
Roscoe Dunjee
This self-taught Alabama artist painted vivid scenes of Southern life on scrap wood and found materials, often including spiritual themes like “The Lord’s Supper.”
Mose Tolliver
This Jamaican political leader and Pan-Africanist founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association and launched the Black Star Line shipping company in the 1920s.
Marcus Garvey
This “King of Pop” helped break MTV’s color barrier in the early 1980s when the network began playing the music video for his hit song “Billie Jean.”
Michael Jackson
This hip-hop trio from New Jersey released the 1996 hit “Ready or Not,” blending rap with a sample of Enya and becoming one of the decade’s most influential groups.
Fugees
This woman, known for her work on the Underground Railroad, was also a Union spy and the first woman to lead an armed assault during the Civil War.
A. Harriet Tubman
B. Sojourner Truth
C. Ida B. Wells
D. Mary McLeod Bethune
Harriet Tubman
In 1963, about 250,000 people gathered in Washington, D.C. for this historic civil rights demonstration where Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech.
A. March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom
B. Selma to Montgomery Marches
C. Freedom Summer
D. Birmingham Campaign
March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom
This pioneering architect became the first African American member of the American Institute of Architects and designed parts of the iconic Theme Building at Los Angeles International Airport.
Paul Revere Williams
This Ethiopian emperor, who ruled for much of the 20th century, became a spiritual symbol for the Rastafari movement and resisted the Italian invasion in the 1930s.
A. Kwame Nkrumah
B. Haile Selassie
C. Jomo Kenyatta
D. Julius Nyerere
Haile Selassie
In 1956, this legendary crooner and pianist became the first African American to host his own national television variety show.
Nat King Cole
This 1994 R&B hit by TLC warned listeners about chasing money and fame and became one of the group’s signature songs.
Waterfalls
In 1881, this school in Atlanta was founded as the first higher education institution specifically for Black women in the medical and teaching fields.
A. Howard University
B. Spelman College
C. Tuskegee University
D. Fisk University
Spelman College
This longtime NAACP secretary helped organize the Montgomery Bus Boycott after refusing to give up her seat on a city bus in 1955.
Rosa Park
This artist is internationally known for her narrative “story quilts,” including the famous Tar Beach, blending quilting traditions with painting and storytelling.
Faith Ringgold
This Barbadian singer and entrepreneur behind hits like “Umbrella” was declared a National Hero of Barbados in 2021.
Rihanna
Nicknamed the “First Lady of Song,” this jazz legend was celebrated for her improvisational scat singing and won 13 Grammy Awards during her career.
Ella Fitzgerald
This 1993 romantic drama starring Tupac Shakur and Janet Jackson explored love, poetry, and social issues among young Black artists in Chicago.
Poetic Justice
These were the first African American paratroopers in the U.S. Army, known as the "Triple Nickles" during WWII.
A. Tuskegee Airmen
B. 369th Infantry Regiment
C. 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion
D. Buffalo Soldiers
555th Parachute Infantry Battalion
Founded in 1904, this Oklahoma town is one of the most well-known surviving All-Black towns and hosts a famous rodeo each Memorial Day weekend.
Boley, Oklahoma
This 19th-century sculptor created the marble statue Forever Free in 1867, celebrating the emancipation of enslaved people.
Mary Edmonia Lewis
This Haitian revolutionary leader helped organize the most successful slave revolt in history, which ultimately led to Haiti’s independence in 1804.
A. Toussaint Louverture
B. Jean-Jacques Dessalines
C. Henri Christophe
D. Alexandre Pétion
Toussaint Louverture
This rock and roll pioneer wrote classics like “Johnny B. Goode” and helped shape the sound of modern electric guitar.
Chuck Berry
This 1999 R&B singer released her debut album On How Life Is, which featured the Grammy-winning hit “I Try.”
Macy Gray
This physician and biologist became the first African American to be the permanent director of a National Institute of Health (the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute).
A. Charles Drew
B. Claude Lenfant
C. Louis Wade Sullivan
D. Daniel Hale Williams
Claude Lenfant
Before becoming the first Black justice on the U.S. Supreme Court, this attorney led the legal team that won the landmark desegregation case Brown v. Board of Education.
Thurgood Marshall
This cultural movement centered in New York during the 1920s marked a flourishing of Black art, literature, and music.
Harlem Renaissance
This Nigerian musician and activist created Afrobeat music and used songs like “Zombie” to criticize military rule and corruption.
A. King Sunny Adé
B. Youssou N'Dour
C. Fela Kuti
D. Angelique Kidjo
Fela Kuti
Signed to Motown at age 11 as this musical prodigy later wrote classics like such as “Sir Duke.”
Stevie Wonder