Black History Month

Which of these influential authors became the first African American to win the Nobel Prize for Literature?

• Maya Angelou

• August Wilson

• Lorraine Hansberry

• Toni Morrison

Answer explanation

Ms. Morrison won the award in 1993. She was recognized for her “novels characterized by visionary force and poetic import” and that breathed life into “an essential aspect of American reality.”

In 2005, this artist became the first black host of the Grammys.

• LL Cool J

• Quincy Jones

• Queen Latifah

• Alicia Keys

Answer explanation

Queen Latifah hosted the 47th Annual Grammy Awards. "The Dana Owens Album” was nominated the same year for the best jazz vocal album.

Who was the first African American to win an Oscar?

• Sidney Poitier

• Dorothy Dandridge

• Louis Gossett Jr.

• Hattie McDaniel

Answer explanation

McDaniel won an Oscar for best supporting actress in "Gone With the Wind" in 1940 for her role as Mammy.

Robb Armstrong is the cartoonist who draws for which comic series?

• Garfield

• The Family Circus

• Frazz

• Jump Start

Answer explanation

'Jump Start' began its publication in 1988 and has appeared in more than 250 newspapers across the country.

Robert Johnson became the first African American billionaire when he sold the cable station he founded, Black Entertainment Television (BET) in what year?

• 1999

• 2001

• 2004

• 2007

Answer explanation

After taking BET private again in 1998, Johnson and his partners sold BET Holdings to the giant media group Viacom in 2001 for some $3 billion, though he remained at BET as its chief executive officer until 2005.

Which record company was founded by Berry Gordy, Jr. in Detroit in 1959?

• Sun Records

• Atlantic Records

• Motown Records

• Warner Brothers

Answer explanation

Motown is a nickname for Detroit, the Motor City. The "Motown sound," which became highly popular nationwide, reflected the rhythms of the city and the culture of its black neighborhoods.

What is the name of the first hip hop group to win an Academy Award for Best Original Song?

• Outkast

• Run DMC

• NWA

• Three 6 Mafia

Answer explanation

The Memphis-spawned hip-hop group won Best Original Song in 2006 for the theme track “It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp” from the film “Hustle & Flow.”

This woman is famously known for being the “Queen of Jazz.” She is also the first African American woman to win a grammy in 1959.

• Ella Fitzgerald

• Marian Anderson

• Ethel Waters

• Aretha Franklin

Answer explanation

In her lifetime, Ella won 13 Grammy awards and sold over 40 million albums. By the 1990s, Ella had recorded over 200 albums. In 1991, she gave her final concert at New York's renowned Carnegie Hall. It was the 26th time she performed there.

The Academy Awards Show originated in 1929. In what year did Halle Berry win the Best Actress award for her leading role in the movie, Monster’s Ball, making her the first African American to win?

• 2000

• 2001

• 2002

• 2003

Answer explanation

In Halle's speech said "[This moment is] for every nameless and faceless woman of color that now has a chance because this door tonight has been opened." While there have been WoC nominated since then, unfortunately, Halle was the last to win the award.

The famous musician Ray Charles, who was honored in 1979 with the declaration of “Georgia on My Mind” becoming the official state song, was born in what Georgia city?

• Macon

• Albany

• Columbus

• Savannah

Answer explanation

“Georgia On My Mind” became the Georgia state song on April 24, 1979 when Gov. George Busbee signed it into law. The song was written by Hoagy Carmichael and Stuart Gorrell in 1930 and became a major hit with Ray Charles in 1960.