Black History Month trivia: African Americans and the arts

This year’s national Black History Month theme is “African Americans and the Arts.” To celebrate, the Black History Committee offers these facts about Black Americans in the arts, along with a trivia quiz.

Did you know?

• In 1948, Gordon Parks became the first Black photographer and writer at Life magazine, and in 1969, he became the first Black American to write and direct a Hollywood feature film (“The Learning Tree”).

• In 1974, Lowery Stokes Sims became the first Black curator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

• In 1996, George Walker became the first Black composer to win the Pulitzer Prize for music.  

• In 2023, Ruth E. Carter made history when she became the first Black woman to win two Oscars. In 2019, she became the first Black person to win the Oscar for best costume design for her win on Marvel’s “Black Panther.” In 2023, she won the award again for her work on the film’s sequel, “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.”

In the spirit of exploring Black art history further, submit answers to the following quiz here no later than 3 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 15, and be entered in a prize drawing. Five people will be chosen at random from among those who answer all questions correctly.

1. This leading sculptor and artist of the Harlem Renaissance worked for equal rights for African Americans in the arts. In 1934, she became the first Black artist to be elected to the National Association of Women Painters and Sculptors. Name the person.
2. This individual was the first Black graphic designer to design a postal stamp. Name the person.
3. They are known as one of the first great recording stars of gospel music and among the first gospel musicians to appeal to rhythm-and-blues and rock-and-roll audiences, later being referred to as “the original soul sister” and “the Godmother of rock-and-roll.” Name the person.
4. In 1955, she became the first Black soloist to sing a leading role with New York’s Metropolitan Opera. Name the person.
5. Which was the first Hollywood film with sound to feature an all-Black cast?

1. “Stormy Weather”
2. “Porgy and Bess”
3. “Cabin in the Sky”
4. “Hallelujah”

Answers and winners will be announced in an upcoming UNMC Today “For the Record” on Feb. 16.

Prizes are donated by the UNMC Office of Inclusion and the African American Black Alliance (AABA).