Memorize these and recognize 39.7% of all African American History clues.
| # | Answer | Count | Sample Clue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maya Angelou | 9 | Her website calls her a Renaissance woman, poet, historian, author, actress & playwright |
| 2 | Harriet Tubman | 8 | John Brown called this woman a "general" because of her bravery in helping slaves escape |
| 3 | Malcolm X | 7 | In 1964 he embraced Sunni Islam & changed his name (again) to El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz |
| 4 | Colin Powell | 7 | Serving under George W. Bush, this soldier was the first person of Jamaican descent in the Cabinet |
| 5 | Booker T. Washington | 7 | "I cannot offer you money, position or fame", he said when he offered George Washington Carver a job at Tuskegee |
| 6 | George Washington Carver | 6 | This botanist donated his life savings to a research foundation at Tuskegee bearing his name |
| 7 | Dr. Ralph Bunche | 6 | He became the highest-ranking American at the U.N. in 1955 when he was named undersecretary |
| 8 | Leontyne Price | 5 | In 1961 this soprano made her debut with the Metropolitan in "Il Trovatore" |
| 9 | Barbara Jordan | 5 | Representing Texas from 1973 to 1979, she was the first black woman from a Southern state to serve in Congress |
| 10 | Scott Joplin | 5 | In 1908 this composer put out an instruction book called "School of Ragtime" |
| 11 | Frederick Douglass | 4 | In 1872 Victoria Woodhull chose this orator & former slave to be her running mate |
| 12 | Martin Luther King | 4 | The book "The Black 100" ranks this civil rights leader as the most influential African-American who ever lived |
| 13 | Jesse Jackson | 4 | In May 1999 he won the release of 3 U.S. soldiers held captive in Serbia |
| 14 | Alex Haley | 4 | This author who inspired generations to trace their genealogy is buried at his ancestral home in Henning, Tennessee |
| 15 | Washington, D.C. | 3 | Recommended by Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Banneker was one of the surveyors who laid out this city |
| 16 | Thurgood Marshall | 3 | ( I'm D.C. mayor Muriel Bowser.) On January 2, 1975 Walter Washington became D.C.'s first elected mayor in a century as he was sworn in by this fellow... |
| 17 | The NAACP | 3 | It's the largest & one of the most influential civil rights groups in America |
| 18 | Sojourner Truth | 3 | In 1843 she said, "The spirit calls me, I must go" & set out to preach against slavery |
| 19 | Sidney Poitier | 3 | A symbol for black performers in film since the '50's, he won an Oscar as Best Actor in '63 |
| 20 | Shirley Chisholm | 3 | In 1968 she became the first black woman elected to the House of Representatives |
| 21 | Rosa Parks | 3 | The modern civil rights movement began in 1955 when she refused to give up her seat on an Alabama bus |
| 22 | Oprah Winfrey | 3 | This queen of talk shows ranked among Ebony magazine's 15 Most Beautiful Black Women of 1996 |
| 23 | Jackie Robinson | 3 | The first African American to play modern Major League Baseball, he joined the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947 |
| 24 | Eldridge Cleaver | 3 | In 1978 he followed up his decade-old book "Soul on Ice" with another called "Soul on Fire" |
| 25 | Clarence Thomas | 3 | Currently, he's the only African American on the Supreme Court |
| 26 | Bryant Gumbel | 3 | He was an editor for "Black Sports" magazine & sports director of KNBC before joining the "Today" show |
| 27 | Matthew Henson | 3 | In 1987 sons of Robert Peary & of this Black explorer visited the U.S. from Greenland for the first time |
| 28 | Vanessa Williams | 2 | Forced to give up crown as Miss America because of photos in "Penthouse" |
| 29 | Pearl Bailey | 2 | Mrs. Louis Bellson, she received the nickname "Ambassador of Love" from President Nixon |
| 30 | Mississippi | 2 | Replacing Jefferson Davis, Hiram Revels, the first black U.S. senator, represented this state |
| 31 | Michael Jordan | 2 | A Hanes ad says you can't have this NBA star's game, rings or fame, but you can have his underwear |
| 32 | Martin Luther King, Jr. | 2 | In 1962 he said, "I want to be the white man's brother, not his brother-in-law" |
| 33 | Marian Anderson | 2 | In 1982 Leontyne Price opened the Congress of the DAR with a concert honoring this contralto |
| 34 | Josephine Baker | 2 | She died in Paris in 1975 during the 50th anniversary celebration of her Paris debut |
| 35 | Jesse Owens | 2 | The Associated Press named him Male Athlete of the Year after he won 4 gold medals at the 1936 Olympics |
| 36 | James Baldwin | 2 | He grew up in Harlem & used it as setting for his 1st novel, "Go Tell It on the Mountain" |
| 37 | Hank Aaron | 2 | He played with the Indianapolis Clowns in the Negro League before hitting 755 home runs in the majors |
| 38 | Ebony | 2 | In 1945, John Johnson began publishing this "Life"like magazine |
| 39 | Duke Ellington | 2 | Starting in 1927, this "noble" man's big band broadcast on radio from Harlem's Cotton Club |
| 40 | Dick Gregory | 2 | In 1967 this author & comic ran for mayor of Chicago; in '68 he was a candidate for president |
| 41 | Crispus Attucks | 2 | A statue of this man who was killed March 5, 1770 stands in the Boston Common |
| 42 | Chicago | 2 | ( Hi, I'm Jesse Jackson, Jr.) About 2/3 of the people that I represent in Congress live in this city |
| 43 | Charles Barkley | 2 | At 6'5" this former Phoenix Suns player is the shortest ever to lead the NBA in rebounding |
| 44 | Carol Moseley Braun | 2 | Before her election to the Senate, she served 10 years in the Illinois House of Representatives |
| 45 | Bernard Shaw | 2 | Noted for his Gulf War coverage, he's the principal Washington anchor for CNN |
| 46 | Atlanta | 2 | Spelman College, America's oldest college for black women, was founded in this southern city in 1881 |
| 47 | (Tom) Bradley | 2 | This longtime L.A. mayor was the recipient of the 1984 Spingarn Medal |
| 48 | (Robert) Peary | 2 | An assistant to this explorer, Matthew Henson became 1st black American to reach the North Pole |
| 49 | Coleman Young | 2 | Among guests at Desmond Tutu's installation as archbishop were Coretta Scott King & this Detroit mayor |
| 50 | Tony Brown | 2 | In 1977 PBS's "Black Journal" was renamed for him, its executive producer & host |
These appear 8+ times. Memorize these first.
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