African American Voting Quiz

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While this campaign season is truly one for the history books, how much do you know about memorable moments from elections past? Get up to date on the issues and check out the voting rules for your state so you can make your voice heard; then test your knowledge of Black voting history right now or while you wait at the polls.

The “Godfather of Soul” James Brown was known for his political and social activism. Which president was the inspiration for his hit song “Funky President”?

Bill Clinton

James Brown wrote and released “Funky President” in 1974, referring to Gerald Ford, shortly after Ford became president.

Gerald Ford

James Brown wrote and released “Funky President” in 1974, referring to Gerald Ford, shortly after Ford became president.

Ronald Reagan

James Brown wrote and released “Funky President” in 1974, referring to Gerald Ford, shortly after Ford became president.

Richard Nixon

James Brown wrote and released “Funky President” in 1974, referring to Gerald Ford, shortly after Ford became president.

What year did Black women nationally secure the right to vote?

1920

While women were granted the right to vote in 1920 by the 19th Amendment, many states made it illegal for Black men and women to vote by passing Jim Crow laws. In 1965, the Voting Rights Act, signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson, prohibited states from using Jim Crow laws to prevent Black Americans from voting, giving Black women across the United States the right to vote.

1863

1965

1945

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Which of these women was one of the cofounders in 1913 of the Alpha Suffrage Club, an organization that advocated for the voting rights of Black women?

Mary McLeod Bethune

Fearing that Black women were being left behind in the fight for women’s voting rights, suffragist Ida B. Wells cofounded the Alpha Suffrage Club with white activists Belle Squire and Virginia Brooks to mobilize Chicago’s Black community.

Sojourner Truth

Madame CJ Walker

Ida B. Wells

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Which of the following tactics have been used to prevent Black people from voting?

Good moral character tests

Though the 15th Amendment in 1870 prohibited Americans from being denied the right to vote on the basis of race, a number of tactics were used primarily in the South to circumvent that law. Literacy tests were used to disqualify people from voting if they could not read or write, poll taxes were fees people had to pay in order to vote and good moral character tests were rules put in place where people had to prove they had a high moral standing in order to vote. All of these practices created obstacles that prevented Black Americans from voting until they were outlawed by the Voting Rights Act in 1965.

Literacy tests

All of these

Poll taxes

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What year did the U.S. have its first Black woman candidate for vice president?

1952

In 1952, Charlotta Bass, a newspaper publisher, became the first Black woman to run for vice president, when she ran with presidential candidate Vincent Hallinan of the Progressive Party.

1972

In 1952, Charlotta Bass, a newspaper publisher, became the first Black woman to run for vice president, when she ran with presidential candidate Vincent Hallinan of the Progressive Party.

2020

In 1952, Charlotta Bass, a newspaper publisher, became the first Black woman to run for vice president, when she ran with presidential candidate Vincent Hallinan of the Progressive Party.

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6. What campaign slogan did Shirley Chisholm use when she became the first Black woman to seek a major party presidential nomination in 1972?

Unbought and Unbossed

Answer: Shirley Chisholm ran under the mantra “Unbought and Unbossed,” which was the title of her book published in 1970.

In to Win

Answer: Shirley Chisholm ran under the mantra “Unbought and Unbossed,” which was the title of her book published in 1970.

Take the Men Only sign off the White House door

Answer: Shirley Chisholm ran under the mantra “Unbought and Unbossed,” which was the title of her book published in 1970.

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Which presidential candidate, known for his rhyming style, was lauded for his communication skills?

Herman Cain

When Jesse Jackson ran for president in 1984 and 1988, he often energized crowds by using rhymes to get his message across. Among the sayings coined were: “Down with dope, up with hope” and “If my mind can conceive it and my heart can believe it, then I can achieve it.”

Barack Obama

Jesse Jackson

Al Sharpton

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Which of the following celebrities did not participate in the voter mobilization effort Rap the Vote?

Erykah Badu

Mary J. Blige, Erykah Badu and P. Diddy — then known as Puff Daddy — all took part in Rap the Vote, an initiative to encourage young people to vote in 2000. The effort was a collaboration between the voter mobilization organization Rock the Vote and hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons. Snoop Dogg took part in the mobilization effort in 2004 when the initiative relaunched.

Mary J. Blige

P. Diddy

Snoop Dogg

None of them

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What is the name of the movement launched by Black churches to get their parishioners to the voting booth?

Rainbow PUSH Coalition

Souls to the Polls events use the collective power of Black churches to mobilize congregants to turn out to the polls in high numbers.

Black to the Ballot

Souls to the Polls events use the collective power of Black churches to mobilize congregants to turn out to the polls in high numbers.

Souls to the Polls

Souls to the Polls events use the collective power of Black churches to mobilize congregants to turn out to the polls in high numbers.

Black Voices Change Lives

Souls to the Polls events use the collective power of Black churches to mobilize congregants to turn out to the polls in high numbers.

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True or False: Black men as a group are more reliable voters than Black women.

True

False. In 2016, 64 percent of eligible Black women voted, compared with 54 percent of eligible Black men, according to Pew Research Center.

False

False. In 2016, 64 percent of eligible Black women voted, compared with 54 percent of eligible Black men, according to Pew Research Center.

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True or False: For the 2020 presidential election, everyone can vote by mail because of the pandemic.

True

False. While some states have expanded mail-in or absentee voting to make it safer for people to vote during the pandemic, other states such as Indiana do not include the pandemic as one of the valid reasons to vote by mail.

False

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The following four actors each portrayed a fictional U.S. president on the big screen. Which one played the commander in chief in two different roles?

Morgan Freeman

Morgan Freeman played President Tom Beck in Deep Impact in 1998. Then, in 2019, he followed up that performance by portraying President Allan Trumbull in the movie Angel Has Fallen.

Chris Rock

Morgan Freeman played President Tom Beck in Deep Impact in 1998. Then, in 2019, he followed up that performance by portraying President Allan Trumbull in the movie Angel Has Fallen.

Jamie Foxx

Morgan Freeman played President Tom Beck in Deep Impact in 1998. Then, in 2019, he followed up that performance by portraying President Allan Trumbull in the movie Angel Has Fallen.

Danny Glover

Morgan Freeman played President Tom Beck in Deep Impact in 1998. Then, in 2019, he followed up that performance by portraying President Allan Trumbull in the movie Angel Has Fallen.

About the Author

Tamara E. Holmes

Tamara E. Holmes is a Washington, DC-based writer whose work centers on the intersection between health, wealth and happiness.

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