GARMISCH-PARTENKIRCHEN, Germany -- With "This is Jeopardy -- the African American History Edition," the Black History Month observance of the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies kicked-off, showcasing the familiar sights and sounds of the popular game show, well, except for -- cow bells.
"When in Bavaria…," answered a smiling U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Cedric Simpson, on why cow bells were used as buzzers for this observance held Feb. 18 and hosted by the Marshall Center's Equal Opportunity Diversity Observances Committee.
There were 26 questions including "Final Jeopardy" for six contestants to answer, well, if they were fast with the cow bell. Categories were Inventions, Places, People, Dates in History and Famous Doctors.
"African American History Month happens every year, and I felt like every time that we have an event covering African American history, we cover the same people...Rosa Parks, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Harriet Tubman," said Simpson, who was the committee's project manager for this observance. "But you rarely hear about Garrett Morgan, who invented the traffic signal, or Dr. Charles Drew, who discovered methods to store blood to increase the effectiveness of blood banks, and countless others who were also very important not only for African American history but also for American history in general.
"The idea was to mix the old with the new, and I think that was accomplished," Simpson said.
Jim Brooks, the Marshall Center's Public Affairs director, wrote on his Facebook: "Today, I was a contestant on the George C. Marshall Center version of Jeopardy in observance of Black History Month. While it was a lot of fun, the questions revealed we can all learn more about the contributions of ALL Americans and not just what the school books offered us."
Replying to his post was Donna Janca, who is an alumni relations specialist with the Marshall Center's Alumni Programs: "The rest of us in the audience need to learn more too! We were impressed with the amount of questions you all DID know."
She later added, "I think we all left there a bit surprised at our lack of knowledge (about African American history)."
The winner of the Marshall Center's game, Tina Wekell, Marshall Center's participant records manager, wrote on her Facebook: "It was too much fun! Thanks for letting me play."
The Garmisch Commissary Store Manager David Matern wrote on his Facebook: "Just wanted to say thank you to the Marshall Center for doing a great job today honoring and paying tribute for Black History month, it was entertaining and rewarding at the same time."
National African American History Month, also known as Black History Month, is an annual celebration of achievements by African Americans and a time to recognize the central role they have played in the history of the United States.
The story of Black History Month in the U.S. began in 1915, half a century after the Thirteenth Amendment abolishing slavery in the United States.
"Credit for the evolving awareness of the true place of African Americans in history can, in large part, be attributed to one man -- Carter G. Woodson," said U.S. Army Sgt. Amanda Moncada, the Marshall Center's audio visual non-commissioned officer, who was the master of ceremonies for this event. "In 1915, he established the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History."
Moncada then quoted Woodson: "We should emphasize not Negro History, but the Negro in history. What we need is not a history of selected races or nations, but the history of the world void of national bias, race hate and religious prejudice."
Black History Month is also an annual observance in Canada and the United Kingdom for remembrance of important people and events in the history of the African diaspora. It is also celebrated in Canada in February, but in the United Kingdom, it is held in October.
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