Black History Month Trivia has been a tradition at BlackDVM Network since 2021. We are grateful for the contributions of Dr. Kaylyn Stanton who researched and created the majority of these questions. These questions remind us how much Black veterinary professionals have contributed to our profession. Join us for our Black History Month events each week in February!
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Trivia Question Key
1.Who was the first Black United States President? (We use this as a practice question)
a. Barack Obama
President Barack Obama became the first African-American to be elected
president in 2008 (2).
2. When did the first celebration of Black History Month begin?
a. 1926
Dr. Carter G. Woodson founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, an organization dedicated to researching and promoting the achievements by Blacks. This group sponsored a national Negro History week in 1926 - choosing the second week of February to coincide with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass (1).
3. Who was the second Black person to earn a Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine?
a. Dr. Augustus Nathaniel Lushington
Dr. Augustus Nathaniel Lushington earned his DVM degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1897. Originally from Trinidad, he worked on a sugar plantation as an enslaved person before moving to Venezuela and then to New York. He was an instructor in Veterinary Sanitation and Hygiene and also worked for the Federal Department of Agriculture (15).
4. Who was the first Black person to earn a Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine?
a. Dr. Henry L. Stockton, Sr.
Dr. Augustus Nathaniel Lushington is often noted to be the first Black person to earn a DVM degree, but Dr. Henry L. Stockton, Sr. graduated from Harvard University’s School of Veterinary Medicine in 1889. The Harvard veterinary school was closed in 1901 due to concerns for it’s long-term viability (8).
5. Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine’s first Black graduate was a man named Dr. Kirksey Curd in 1912. When would Cornell graduate their first Black women?
a. 1977
Dr. Lila Miller and Dr. Rochelle Woods were the first Black women to
graduate from Cornell’s College of Veterinary Medicine in 1977. In 2021, BlackDVM Network and the Multicultural Veterinary Medical Association honored the first Black graduates among veterinary colleges in a project named The First but Not the Last. The information from that research is housed on the MCVMA website (7).
6. This Black veterinarian was the Assistant Surgeon General of the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps.
a. Dr. Michael Blackwell
Michael Blackwell earned his DVM degree from Tuskegee University. He is currently the Director of AlignCare, a national, community-funded, One Health system that helps care for pets and the well-being of the families who love them. Previously, Dr. Blackwell served as Dean of the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine and the Deputy Director of the FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine (3,10).
7. Which of these veterinarians developed the agar used to test for antibiotic susceptibility?
a. Dr. Jane Hinton
Dr. Jane Hinton earned her DVM degree from the University of
Pennsylvania in 1949. She was a notable researcher in the field of bacterial resistance and worked with John Howard Mueller at Harvard University where she helped develop the Mueller- Hinton agar, a medium still used to culture bacteria today (5).
8. What year was the first Black veterinary technician hired at the University of Minnesota Veterinary Medical Center?
a. 1998
Rosemary Klass became the first Black veterinary technician to be hired at the University of Minnesota Veterinary Medical Center (3,9).
9. The first veterinarian-written guidelines for shelter animal care were written by which female Black veterinarian?
a. Dr. Lila Miller
Dr. Lila Miller is known as the “Mother of Shelter Medicine” by devoting her career to caring for homeless dogs, cats, and other pets. She was honored with a Times Square billboard announcing the declaration of Dr. Lila Miller Shelter Medicine Day (3, 11).
10. Who was the first Black female board- certified radiologist?
a. Dean Ruby Perry
Dean Ruby Perry is the current Dean of Tuskegee University College of Veterinary Medicine. She is currently the President and Board Chair of the American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges (3,6).
11. What show features the veterinary adventures of Drs. Blue, Ross, and Lavigne?
a.The Vet Life
This show follows three vets and their families as they start a new hospital in Houston, TX for a total of 6 seasons (13,14).
12. The 2021 BlackDVM Network calendar was the first calendar to showcase and highlight Black veterinary professionals.
a. True
The 2021 calendar was the first to ever do it! Our 2024 calendar is out now! We are now releasing the calendar every other year and a portion of the proceeds are donated to the Dr. Jodie G. Blackwell scholarship fund, which supports Black veterinary students at Tuskegee.
13. Who is the current Dean of Purdue University?
a. Willie Reed
Dean Willie Reed is the current Dean of Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine. He has many accolades including the Iverson Bell Diversity & Inclusion Award, Purdue University’s 2015 Dreamer Award, and the AVMA Frederick Douglass Patterson Lifetime Achievement Award (4).
14. All of the following describe Dr. Callie Harris except...
a.Native of Louisville, KY
Dr. Callie Harris is a 2008 graduate of Tuskegee University’s School of Veterinary Medicine. During her internship, she developed a love for emergency medicine and critical care and has worked in high volume specialty practices since 2009. In December of 2016, Dr. Harris joined Nestle Purina PetCare as a full-time veterinarian. In her role as Senior Veterinary Communications Manager, she provides support for veterinary teaching hospitals throughout the Southeast and technical education support for Purina’s veterinary sales division. She currently resides in Atlanta, Georgia with her husband, young daughter, her hyper Bichon/Poodle mix and a senior citizen terrier mix (4).
15. In the mid-late 19th century, approximately what fraction of cowboys were Black?
a. 25%
Black men were among the first cowboys. Although Black cowboys don’t
play a part in the popular narrative, historians estimate that one in four cowboys were Black. It’s important to note there was both conflict and collaboration between “cowboys” and the Indigenous people as the United States expanded westward, as we don’t want to overly romanticize this time. This fact is to highlight and challenge the stereotypical beliefs about Black people and animals (12).
BlackDVM Network is a safer space for Black veterinarians, technicians, and assistants to connect, learn, and empower one another. We provide a community for Black veterinary professionals to advance their careers and access economic opportunities. We believe successful veterinary professionals are core to the advancement of veterinary medicine.
References
1.(2010, January 14). Black History Month 2024: Facts, Origins & Quotes | HISTORY. Retrieved February 2, 2024, from https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/black-history-month
2.Barack Obama. (n.d.). The White House. Retrieved February 2, 2024, from https://www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/presidents/barack-obama/
3.BlackDVM Network. (2020, November). 2021 BlackDVM Network Calendar. Tierra Price 4.BlackDVM Network. (2023, November). 2024 BlackDVM Network Calendar. Tierra Price. 5.Dr. Jane Hinton was a researcher and veterinarian and was one of the first black
veterinarians in the nation. (n.d.). AWIS. Retrieved February 2, 2024, from
https://awis.org/historical-women/dr-jane-hinton/6.Dr. Ruby Perry. (n.d.). AAVMC. Retrieved February 2, 2024, from
https://www.aavmc.org/staff/dr-ruby-perry/7.The First But Not The Last | MCVMA Projects. (2021, February 25). Multicultural Veterinary
Medical Association. Retrieved February 2, 2024, from https://mcvma.org/the-first-but-not-
the-last/8.JVME 31.4.book. (n.d.). K-State College of Veterinary Medicine. Retrieved February 2, 2024,
from https://www.vet.k-state.edu/docs/about/diversity/AA_409.pdf9.Klass, R. (2023, June 28). A Touch of Klass – Minnesota Women's Press. Minnesota Women's
Press. Retrieved February 2, 2024, from https://www.womenspress.com/a-touch-of-klass/ 10.Michael J. Blackwell, DVM, MPH. (n.d.). Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association-.
Retrieved February 2, 2024, from https://www.hsvma.org/michael_blackwell11.The 'Mother of Shelter Medicine': Vet Pioneer Lila Miller '74, DVM '77 - Cornellians | Cornell
University. (2021, October 25). Cornell Alumni. Retrieved February 2, 2024, from
https://alumni.cornell.edu/cornellians/mother-shelter-medicine/12.Nodjimbadem, K. (2017, February 13). The Lesser-Known History of African-American
Cowboys. Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved February 2, 2024, from https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/lesser-known-history-african-american- cowboys-180962144/
13.The Vet Life. (n.d.). Animal Planet. Retrieved February 2, 2024, from https://www.animalplanet.com/show/the-vet-life-animal-planet
14.The Vet Life (TV Series 2016– ). (n.d.). IMDb. Retrieved February 2, 2024, from https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5864498/
15.Young, A. (n.d.). Augustus Lushington, Veterinarian born. African American Registry. Retrieved February 2, 2024, from https://aaregistry.org/story/augustus-lushington-born/