Black History Month Celebration Trivia Night Feb. 26

The Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts is among the sponsors for Black History Month Celebration: Trivia Night on Feb. 26.
The Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts is among the sponsors for Black History Month Celebration: Trivia Night on Feb. 26.

Black History Month Celebration Trivia Night Feb. 26

calendar icon22 Feb 2021    

Lincoln, Neb.--Celebrate Black History Month with fun trivia questions and poetry performances at Trivia Night on Friday, Feb. 26 at 4 p.m. via Zoom.

Winners and lucky participants may win various prizes, and the top winner will receive a $40 gift card. (Please note: While the event is open to all UNL students, faculty, staff and alumni, only students are eligible for the prizes.)

Two Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film theatre performance students will be participating in the poetry performances, Brannon Evans and Hannah Mason.

Evans will be reading “Phenomenal Woman” by Maya Angelou.

“I decided to read this poem because it has stuck with me because of the message,” she said. “I love the empowerment it preaches and emphasis on self-confidence and acceptance and rejecting societal norms of beauty.”

Mason will be performing a poem titled “I Can’t Breathe” by Pamela Sneed.

“This poem focuses and exposes the discrimination and inequality of people of color in a medical setting, as social and structural factors, such as socioeconomics, may require the Black community to need more healthcare. Yet their needs are often dismissed in comparison to white individuals,” Mason said. “Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, along with the Black Lives Matter protests occurring this previous summer, this piece is particularly relevant today in the fight for social justice.”

Evans was eager to participate in the event.

“I wanted to participate in this because I am a proud African American woman, and it is amazing to see my culture represented and celebrated, and I wanted to participate in that,” she said. “I’m excited to test my own knowledge in the trivia, as well as educate others.”

Mason also wanted to participate due to the power of the arts.

“I believe that Amanda Gorman’s performance of ‘The Hill We Climb’ at President Biden’s Inauguration moved many Americans and was an exemplary example of how the arts can be used as a medium to advocate for social reform,” Mason said. “Also, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, most fine arts majors have had very few opportunities to perform this year and exhibit our training. With this combination of factors, I was eager to display the beautiful art creating by these BIPOC poets and share a message that our society desperately needs to hear at this moment. Although the Hixson-Lied College provides many performance opportunities, they are rarely solely focused on poetry, so I wanted to take advantage of this opportunity and try a new medium as a performer. Lastly, I have a slightly competitive nature, so I’m very excited to play a round of trivia.”

Evans hopes others will participate, too.

“I want people to participate to get out of their comfort zone and stretch (and test) their knowledge,” Evans said. “Also, being Black History Month, this is a wonderful event to celebrate black culture and our contribution to society.”

Mason said it’s a good opportunity for all students, not just arts students, to come together as a community.

“America has faced unprecedented times this previous year, and the arts industry has certainly been impacted significantly. We wanted to provide an opportunity for all students, not just theatre performance students, to share and perform a piece of art,” Mason said. “Additionally, due to social distancing guidelines, we have had very few opportunities to gather as a student body, so we want to strengthen our campus’ sense of community. By combining the Hixson-Lied College, Oasis Brother2Brother, the Black Student Union, the College of Business International Student Association, and the Nebraska Union’s, we are anticipating having a myriad of student backgrounds, which will result in a new experience for all. This has been a long year and cold winter, so we wanted to create an event where students can relax for an evening, meet new acquaintances, potentially win a prize, and celebrate Black History Month.”

The event is hosted by OASIS Brother2Brother, Black Student Union, Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts, Nebraska Unions and in partnership with the College of Business international Student Association.

If you would like to join the poetry performances, please fill out this form: https://go.unl.edu/bhmt

Register for your spot in the game in advance at: https://unl.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJwucuGoqDkrGdXJ5HuFIdxyTv1jMFP910jY.