Black culture and history are everywhere and in everything. It’s undeniable. In a time that’s more divisive than ever, we’re finding every possible opportunity to highlight and celebrate Black culture. These trivia questions centered on Black history and culture give you the chance to do just that.
Do you know who the first Black woman to travel in space was? Or do you know which legislative ruling made racial discrimination illegal? Check out these Black trivia questions that span a range of subjects, just as the Black diaspora spans the entire world. How many can you get right?
13 Wild Card Black Culture Trivia Questions
Question: Who was the first African American president of the United States?
Answer: Barack Obama
Question: What year was the first Juneteenth celebration?
Answer: 1866
Question: Which genres of music originated in African American communities in the early 20th century and heavily influenced popular music?
Answer: Jazz and blues
Question: Who wrote the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God?
Answer: Zora Neale Hurston
Question: What was the name of the movement during the 1920s and 1930s that celebrated Black art, music and literature, centered in New York City?
Answer: The Harlem Renaissance
Question: Who was the first Black woman to win an Academy Award for Best Actress?
Answer: Halle Berry
Question: What historically Black college did Vice President Kamala Harris attend?
Answer: Howard University
Question: What is the name of the African American holiday that celebrates family, community, and culture, starting on December 26?
Answer: Kwanzaa
Question: Who is known as the “Godfather of Soul”?
Answer: James Brown
Question: What civil rights leader gave the famous “I Have a Dream” speech in 1963?
Answer: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Question: Which influential rapper and entrepreneur founded Roc-A-Fella Records?
Answer: Jay-Z
Question: What was the first feature-length film directed by a Black woman to be nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards?
Answer: Selma (Directed by Ava DuVernay)
Question: Who became the first Black woman to travel in space in 1992?
Answer: Dr. Mae Jemison
11 Black History Trivia Questions & Answers
Question: Who was the first African American to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court?
Answer: Thurgood Marshall
Question: What was the name of the Supreme Court case that declared segregation in public schools unconstitutional?
Answer: Brown v. Board of Education (1954)
Question: What African American woman refused to give up her seat on a Montgomery, Alabama bus in 1955?
Answer: Rosa Parks
Question: Who founded the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama in 1881?
Answer: Booker T. Washington
Question: Who was the first African American woman elected to the U.S. Congress?
Answer: Shirley Chisholm (1968)
Question: What large organization, founded in 1909, is one of the oldest civil rights organizations in the U.S.?
Answer: The NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People)
Question: What was the name of the all-Black military pilot group that fought in World War II?
Answer: The Tuskegee Airmen
Question: Who delivered the famous “Ain’t I a Woman?” speech in 1851?
Answer: Sojourner Truth
Question: What landmark 1964 legislation outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin?
Answer: The Civil Rights Act of 1964
Question: In what year did Barack Obama become the first African American elected President of the United States?
Answer: 2008
Question: What tragic event in 1921 destroyed a thriving Black community known as “Black Wall Street”?
Answer: The Tulsa Race Massacre
10 Trivia Questions About Black People in Music
Question: Who is known as the “Queen of Soul”?
Answer: Aretha Franklin
Question: Which rapper holds the record for the most Grammy wins by a hip-hop artist?
Answer: Jay-Z. He was previously tied with Kanye West at 24 Grammys, but broke the tie in 2025 with a Grammy win for his contributions to Cowboy Carter.
Question: Which jazz trumpeter is famous for his puffed cheeks and was a leading figure in the development of bebop?
Answer: Dizzy Gillespie
Question: What pioneering hip-hop group released the influential album It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back in 1988?
Answer: Public Enemy
Question: Who was the first Black woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?
Answer: Aretha Franklin (1987)
Question: Which blues guitarist was nicknamed “King of the Blues”?
Answer: B.B. King
Question: What rapper and entrepreneur co-founded Death Row Records alongside Suge Knight?
Answer: Dr. Dre
Question: Who was the lead singer of the Supremes, Motown’s most successful act during the 1960s?
Answer: Diana Ross
Question: Which influential soul artist’s song What’s Going On is widely considered one of the greatest songs of all time?
Answer: Marvin Gaye
Question: Who was known as the “High Priestess of Soul”?
Answer: Nina Simone
12 Questions All About Black People in Pop Culture
Question: Who played Olivia Pope in the hit TV series Scandal?
Answer: Kerry Washington
Question: Who became the first Black woman to win an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series in 2015?
Answer: Viola Davis
Question: What 1990s sitcom starred Will Smith as a fictionalized version of himself?
Answer: The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
Question: Who was the first Black woman to headline Coachella?
Answer: Beyoncé
Question: What groundbreaking 1989 film by Spike Lee tackled issues of race and police brutality in Brooklyn?
Answer: Do the Right Thing
Question: What animated Disney film features the first Black Disney princess?
Answer: The Princess and the Frog
Question: Who played Storm in the original X-Men movie series?
Answer: Halle Berry
Question: Which actor portrayed the roles of Jackie Robinson, James Brown, and Thurgood Marshall on film?
Answer: Chadwick Boseman
Question: What actor, known for his comedic impressions and roles on In Living Color, later won an Oscar for Ray?
Answer: Jamie Foxx
Question: Who became the youngest inaugural poet in U.S. history when she performed at President Biden’s 2021 inauguration?
Answer: Amanda Gorman
Question: What fashion designer became the first Black artistic director of Louis Vuitton’s menswear line?
Answer: Virgil Abloh
Question: Who directed the film Get Out, which brought horror and social commentary together in 2017?
Answer: Jordan Peele
