HP DC Ben Black History Triva - "Women In African American History"

1. Who resigned from the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) in protest, after the DAR refused Marian Anderson permission to sing in a DAR hall?

Martha Washington

Eleanor Roosevelt

Edith Wilson

Mary Church Terrell

Marian Anderson's exclusion from Constitution Hall also provoked Eleanor Roosevelt, then First Lady, to arrange for a free open-air concert on the Lincoln Mall.

Explanation

Marian Anderson's exclusion from Constitution Hall also provoked Eleanor Roosevelt, then First Lady, to arrange for a free open-air concert on the Lincoln Mall.

2. Phillis Wheatley is famous for being the

First African American woman millionaire

First African American female Senator

First published African American poet

First woman in America to vote in an election

A slave in New York state, she was taught to read and write and even published a book of poems, before returning to obscurity and poverty.

Explanation

A slave in New York state, she was taught to read and write and even published a book of poems, before returning to obscurity and poverty.

3. She was US Ambassador to New Zealand:

Carol Moseley Braun

Fanny Elssler

Josephine San Martin

Hattie Caraway

Carol Moseley Braun, an Illinois attorney and politician, was the first African American woman elected to the US Senate, and was a candidate for the US Presidency, 2003-2004.

Explanation

Carol Moseley Braun, an Illinois attorney and politician, was the first African American woman elected to the US Senate, and was a candidate for the US Presidency, 2003-2004.

4. Ida B. Wells-Barnett is best known for her work:

Against lynching

For public housing

Against woman suffrage

For temperance

While a housing project in Chicago was named for her, Ida B. Wells-Barnett was known for her anti-lynching work as a journalist. She was also a supporter of woman suffrage, while criticizing discriminatory behavior and attitudes within the women's movement.

Explanation

While a housing project in Chicago was named for her, Ida B. Wells-Barnett was known for her anti-lynching work as a journalist. She was also a supporter of woman suffrage, while criticizing discriminatory behavior and attitudes within the women's movement.

5. She was the first African American to win a Pulitzer Prize:

Maya Angelou

Gwendolyn Brooks

Molly Ivins

Toni Morrison

Gwendolyn Brooks is the correct answer because she was the first African American to win the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1950. Her collection of poems, "Annie Allen," explored the experiences of African Americans and the challenges they faced in society. Brooks' win was a significant milestone in African American literature and paved the way for other African American writers to be recognized for their contributions. Maya Angelou, Molly Ivins, and Toni Morrison are all notable writers, but they did not win a Pulitzer Prize before Gwendolyn Brooks.

Explanation

Gwendolyn Brooks is the correct answer because she was the first African American to win the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1950. Her collection of poems, "Annie Allen," explored the experiences of African Americans and the challenges they faced in society. Brooks' win was a significant milestone in African American literature and paved the way for other African American writers to be recognized for their contributions. Maya Angelou, Molly Ivins, and Toni Morrison are all notable writers, but they did not win a Pulitzer Prize before Gwendolyn Brooks.

6. The first African American to win the Nobel Prize for Literature was

Maya Angelou

Oprah Winfrey

Gwendolyn Brooks

Toni Morrison

Toni Morrison's novels use fantasy and mythic elements along with realistic depictions of racial, gender, and class conflict.

Explanation

Toni Morrison's novels use fantasy and mythic elements along with realistic depictions of racial, gender, and class conflict.

7. Her statue, "The Death of Cleopatra," was lost after it was displayed at the 1878 Chicago Exposition. Where was it found?

In a cellar at the Smithsonian

In an art collection in Rome

Decorating the grave of a race horse

On display at a night club

Much of the sculpture of Edmonia Lewis has been lost. In her later years she moved to Rome, and she lived in such obscurity that her death date and circumstances are unknown.

Explanation

Much of the sculpture of Edmonia Lewis has been lost. In her later years she moved to Rome, and she lived in such obscurity that her death date and circumstances are unknown.

8. Maggie Lena Walker of Richmond, Virginia, is known for her achievement as a

Track and field star

Silent movie actress

Bank president

Civil War spy

Maggie Lena Walker opened St. Luke Penny Savings Bank in 1903 and merged several other banks together into the Consolidated Bank and Trading Company of Richmond.

Explanation

Maggie Lena Walker opened St. Luke Penny Savings Bank in 1903 and merged several other banks together into the Consolidated Bank and Trading Company of Richmond.

9. She was born during the Civil War and died shortly after the Supreme Court decision, Brown v. Board of Education. The first black woman to be a high school principal in Washington, DC, she was first president of the National Association of Colored Women. She was:

Ida B. Wells-Barnett

Mary Church Terrell

Althea Gibson

Mary McLeod Bethune

Mary Church Terrell was a charter member of the NAACP and helped to integrate the American Association of University Women (AAUW)

Explanation

Mary Church Terrell was a charter member of the NAACP and helped to integrate the American Association of University Women (AAUW)

10. The first African American woman lawyer in the United States admitted to the bar (Washington, DC)

Was a key figure in the Brown v. Board of Education case

Married a newspaper publisher and wrote many articles on civil rights

Became a leader in the temperance movement

Moved to New York and taught public school in Brooklyn

Charlotte Ray was admitted to the bar shortly after the District of Columbia omitted "male" from the requirements. She moved to New York City when she was not able to build a successful practice as a "colored woman lawyer."

Explanation

Charlotte Ray was admitted to the bar shortly after the District of Columbia omitted "male" from the requirements. She moved to New York City when she was not able to build a successful practice as a "colored woman lawyer."