1. Chief surveyor of the city of Washington, D.C., who was also an astronomer and mathematician? A. Charles Randolph, B. Benjamin Banneker, C. Pierre L’Enfant, D. Douglass Faring
[bg_collapse view=”link” color=”#4a4949″ expand_text=”Answer” collapse_text=”- Collapse” ]B. Benjamin Banneker. Banneker was born on November 9, 1731, in Ellicott’s Mills, Maryland. A free black man who owned a farm near Baltimore, Banneker was largely self-educated in astronomy and mathematics. He was later called upon to assist in the surveying of territory for the construction of the nation’s capital. He also became an active writer of almanacs and exchanged letters with Thomas Jefferson, politely challenging him to do what he could to ensure racial equality. Banneker died on October 9, 1806.[/bg_collapse]
2. What name was given the attempted mass slave escape in Washington, D.C. that began on the banks of the Southwest waterfront? A. The Fugitive Run, B. Escape to Freedom, C. The Pearl Incident, D. The Wharf Escape
[bg_collapse view=”link” color=”#4a4949″ expand_text=”Answer” collapse_text=”- Collapse” ]C. The Pearl Incident (named for the schooner), began April 15, 1848 when numerous members of Washington’s free Black community, 77 enslaved men, women, and children from across the city and surrounding areas slipped away from their places of work or residence on the evening of April 15 and made their way to The Pearl at a wharf on the Potomac. They boarded the ship which set sail down the Potomac River and then turned north into Chesapeake Bay. The wind was against the schooner, however, forcing it to anchor for the night. The next morning, numerous Washington, D.C. slaveholders, realizing their slaves and The Pearl were missing, sent out an armed posse of 35 men on the steamboat Salem. The posse caught up with The Pearl near Point Lookout, Maryland, boarded the vessel, and took the slaves and the ship back to Washington.[/bg_collapse]
3. “Don’t Buy Where You Can’t Work” campaigns against racist hiring practices in white-owned stores in predominantly Black neighborhoods was initiated in Washington D.C. by what organization? A. New Negro Alliance, B. The Urban League, C. The Black Panthers, D. The NAACP
[bg_collapse view=”link” color=”#4a4949″ expand_text=”Answer” collapse_text=”- Collapse” ]A. The New Negro Alliance (NNA) was a Washington, D.C. based organization founded in 1933 by mostly middle-class Blacks to use pickets, economic boycotts, and other direct-action protests to promote civil rights. It sought to increase African American employment opportunities, especially in white collar positions and to challenge discriminatory employment practices. Although the NNA wasn’t the first organization in the city’s Black community to use direct action protests to combat discrimination, it was the largest and most successful organization to that date to employ economic boycotts as its main tool for civil rights.[/bg_collapse]
4. Which U.S. President set the clock of integration back by mandating segregation policies in all federal agencies – most of which adhered to a policy of hires based strictly upon education and skill? A. Franklin Roosevelt, B. Calvin Coolidge, C. Gerald Ford, D. Woodrow Wilson
[bg_collapse view=”link” color=”#4a4949″ expand_text=”Answer” collapse_text=”- Collapse” ]D. Woodrow Wilson. In 1912 Woodrow Wilson, the Democratic candidate for president, promised fairness and justice for blacks if elected. In a letter to a black church official, Wilson wrote, “Should I become President of the United States they may count upon me for absolute fair dealing for everything by which I could assist in advancing their interests of the race.” But after the election, Wilson changed his tune. He dismissed 15 out of 17 black supervisors who had been previously appointed to federal jobs. The President’s wife, Ellen Wilson, was said to have had a hand in segregating employees in Washington, encouraging department chiefs to assign blacks separate working, eating, and toilet facilities. To justify segregation, officials publicized complaints by white women, who were thought to be threatened by black men’s sexuality and disease.[/bg_collapse]
5. Name the one African-American female named among the eleven attorneys who assisted in arguing the Brown v. Board case in 1954 alongside Thurgood Marshall? A. Janice Bolding, B. Constance Baker Motley, C. Ellen Hayes Matthews, D. Prudence Capers
[bg_collapse view=”link” color=”#4a4949″ expand_text=”Answer” collapse_text=”- Collapse” ]B. Constance Baker Motley was the only African-American female legal mind named among Marshall’s crew which included: Robert Carter, Jack Greenberg, Spottswood Robinson, Oliver Hill, Louis Redding, Charles and John Scott, Harold R. Boulware, James Nabrit, and George E.C. Hayes. From her position with the NAACP LDF, Motley participated in most of the important Civil Rights cases from 1945 to 1965. In 1950, she prepared the draft complaint for what would become Brown v. Board of Education. She was the only woman on the NAACP legal team for Brown. From her position with the NAACP LDF, Motley participated in most of the important Civil Rights cases from 1945 to 1965. In 1950, she prepared the draft complaint for what would become Brown v. Board of Education. She was the only woman on the NAACP legal team for Brown.[/bg_collapse]
6. Which African-American-owned newspaper has served the city and nation for more than 50 years – while representing D.C.’s East of the River community? A. The AFRO, B. The Capital Spotlight, C. The D.C. Bee, D. The Washington Informer.
[bg_collapse view=”link” color=”#4a4949″ expand_text=”Answer” collapse_text=”- Collapse” ]D. The Washington Informer. Now published by Denise Rolark Barnes, The Washington Informer Newspaper Co. Inc. is a multimedia organization founded on Oct. 16, 1964, by Dr. Calvin Rolark, in order to highlight positive images of African Americans. We continue to only do positive news, as we strive to EDUCATE, EMPOWER, and INFORM. We serve metropolitan Washington D.C., now reaching over 50,000 readers each week through our award-winning newspaper print edition; a weekly average of 50,000 sessions through our award-winning website; 7,500 weekly subscribers through our weekly email newsletter, and growing numbers through our social media. We are also the sponsors of the annual Washington Informer Spelling Bee.[/bg_collapse]
7. The park located at 20th and Franklin Streets Northeast is named for what Washington, D.C. musical icon? A. Duke Ellington, B. Chuck Brown, C. Marvin Gaye, D. Wale
[bg_collapse view=”link” color=”#4a4949″ expand_text=”Answer” collapse_text=”- Collapse” ]B. Chuck Brown. The Chuck Brown Memorial Park honors the memory of one of DC’s greatest legends. It consists of a memorial wall honoring Brown’s life and achievements and an abstract sculpture at its entrance. The memorial wall is sloped and made of colored concrete with images of Mr. Brown on high quality ceramic tiles. The main wall and the discography wall are separated by a stairwell that connects the existing playground area to the new informal performance plaza area along the east end of the site.[/bg_collapse]