The Black Card Revoked Proud Family: Black by Popular Demand game night was held to spread African-American history and culture awareness Monday night in the Coleman Auditorium.

Jaidan McCarley, a junior corporate communication major and member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., the sorority that organized the event, said the game night was a way to educate students in a fun way. 

“The game night is a fun event held to hold the interest and educate EIU, overall spreading black awareness and knowledge during Black History Month,” McCarley said. 

The game night consisted of four rounds of questions on the history of African-Americans.

Two teams were formed, and the team with the least amount of points essentially gets their black card revoked.

Fill-in-the-blank, multiple choice, open-ended discussion and audience-choice questions were presented to the two equally divided teams.

The team’s knowledge was tested with relevant African-American history questions like “Who signed the Emancipation Proclamation?” and culture questions like “When should you make your to-go plate at the family cookout?” 

Opened-ended and discussion questions led the teams and audience to comparing and understanding the similarities and differences in black culture.

Members on the same team began to clash cultures with interesting responses from several different perspectives. 

Junior English major Chynna Wills said the event showed the broadness of black culture.

“Black culture is wide; we share a lot of things in common,” Wills said.

Symone Anderson, a sophomore interpersonal communication major, said the event showed that while various aspects of black culture are different, they are all connected.

“Everybody black has a different culture, but we all are still alike,” Anderson said.

The game had multiple answers that could be correct to accommodate the difference in backgrounds.

Kennedy Byrd, a junior corporate communication major, said the event emphasized to her that African-American history began before slavery.

“Black history is deeper than slavery; the history of African-Americans didn’t start with slavery,” Byrd said.

Whinter Kent, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., president and senior political science major, said she wishes more than just minority students would engage in the annual game night event or any of the series of events held during African-American Heritage Month.  

“The events are held to learn something new and educate all of EIU on the history of African-Americans and the culture today,” Kent said.

Jayla Cannon can be reached at 581-2812 or at jwcannon@eiu.edu.