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Austin African American History Quiz
photo of Anderson High School Band - 1937
Anderson High School Band.
December 6, 1937 [C03735]

The Austin History Center is celebrating Black History Month by providing an online quiz designed to test your knowledge of African American history in Austin. Answers to all the questions can be found in one of two locations on the AHC's website. The Desegregation in Austin pages present an annotated chronology of major events in the desegregation of Austin, Texas, from 1940 to 1980 as they appeared in local newspapers and other materials. The Black in the Past pages display one-minute vignettes depicting the stories of African Americans and the communities they built. Vignette topics highlight the events, places and people that characterize Black Austin, using historic photographs and documents from our archival holdings. Look over the Desegregation in Austin: Five Decades of Social Change Timeline and the Black in the Past web pages, then take the online quiz and test your knowledge of African American history.

Return to the African American Resources page
Quiz

1. What is the name of the individual who in 1946 filed suit against the University of Texas for being denied admission to their School of Law? [HINT]

2. What is the name of the restaurant owner who helped to desegregate restaurants in Austin during the 1950s? [HINT]

3. The University of Texas Board of Regents agreed, in a unanimous decision, to admit African American undergraduate students starting the
fall semester of what year? [HINT]

4. True or false - In 1962 African American students at The University of Texas invited civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King to assist them with the full integration of all university facilities, including dormitories and intercollegiate athletics. [HINT]

5. The dorms at the University of Texas were desegregated in what year? [HINT]

6. True or false -In 1964 Dr. Ervin Sewell Perry was the first African American to be appointed to the position of professor at the University of Texas. [HINT]

7. True or false - In 1970 the federal government brought suit against Austin ISD for alleged failure to comply with desegregation guidelines. [HINT]

8. True or false - In 1980 the federal government approved Austin's desegregation/ busing plan, bringing an end to the decade long desegregation suit. [HINT]

9. What is the name of the individual who desegregated the Austin Public Library system? [HINT]

10. Why did African Americans boycott Austin streetcars in 1906? [HINT]


Download the Quiz (PDF) | Download the Quiz Answers (PDF)

Additional Information
Learn more about Heman Marion Sweatt.

Learn more about Dr. Ervin Sewell Perry.