Today: Mar 29, 2024

Black History Month Trivia informs students

Joseph VincenziReporter

Students crowded around the community lounge in Farnham Hall late Friday night for Black History Month Trivia.

Attendees were greeted with a table stacked with fried chicken, baked mac ‘n cheese, and fries; and with classic hits being played by famous artists like Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston.

The students were there not for just a party, but to partake in Farnham Hall’s Black History Month Trivia night as a way to celebrate Black History Month.

“It was a fun way of incorporating education and a game,” said communication major Kiana Michel, a senior.

The trivia night format began with students being assigned into teams. Every round, the teams of students would have to answer a series of five questions related to famous black individuals or black empowerment movements from history.

Some questions asked things like “Who was the first African American baseball player?” or “Who ran on the campaign slogan ‘Yes we can’?”

Michel said the format of the event was fun and made learning about black history much more enjoyable than it may have been otherwise.

Along with the trivia questions was a series of raffles that occurred at the beginning of every round. Ten-dollar gift cards were awarded to raffle winners for various stores including Dunkin’ Donuts, Walmart and Amazon.

“There’s a lot of active and passive elements to this program,” said Danny Starvaggi, the Farnham Hall director and facilitator of the event.

After three rounds had passed, two teams were selected for the finals, where the game would turn into a Family Feud-type competition in which the first team to answer the questions would win the contest. The grand prize was a brand-new laptop. Starvaggi said the event was about celebrating all aspects of black history.

She said some of the items around the lounge area, were posters describing famous African Americans, stands with famous African American works and spread of food that was out for students to enjoy.

The spread of food in particular was a key “passive element” of the program, according to Starvaggi. She explained that the choice of food, which was ordered from Sandra’s Next Generation, was an assortment of classical soul food, which was “to reflect on the black culture in the United States.”

Biology major Kelis Charles, a sophomore, said that it was “really good,” and appreciated the fact that “people would be entertained while they were learning” about black history and black culture.

Computer science major Inescral Chaoles, a sophomore, said how his early life in Haiti affects his understanding of African American history in the United States.

“I grew up in Haiti, so I don’t really know a lot about black history in America,” said Charles.

However, Chaoles said he was positive that the event would be beneficial in growing his understanding of African American history in the U.S. and that other students from outside of the U.S. might benefit as well.

International business major Jared Valdez, a sophomore, said the event was “very eye-opening to see how much [he] knew about the event,” and promised to return to the event in the future.

Starvaggi said this was the first time the event was being held, which was put on with the help of the Farnham Hall council and she hopes the event can occur next year.

“It would be nice,” she said, “to continue.”

Photo Credit: Joseph Vincenzi

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