On Feb. 18, COD’s Black Student Success Center (BSSC) hosted its annual Black365 Knowledge Bowl.

The trivia event tested the Black history knowledge of COD students and faculty, as well as high school students from across the Coachella Valley. The top-scoring students took home cash prizes totaling $500.

Participants answered 61 questions from six categories: Black fashion, Black authors, Black organizations, music, “Who Am I” and “Calendar.”

In the music category, snippets of songs were played and participants identified the artists and track titles. In “Who Am I,” participants identified influential Black figures shown in photographs. The “Calendar” category included questions about Black inventors, politicians, fraternities and sororities, colleges and universities, musical groups and more.

The trivia game was hosted on the online platform Kahoot, where questions were projected on a screen at the front of the room. Players answered multiple-choice questions on their phones, earning points based on correct answers and how quickly they responded.

Before the trivia began, students in the BSSC listened to music, socialized, studied and ate barbecue catered by Just Smoke BBQ.

COD alum David Keesee opened the event with a reading of an original poem about overcoming difficult circumstances, including addiction.

Keesee then introduced Jamaal Brown, founder of the online store and educational platform Black365.

Brown shared how, as a child, he questioned the direction of his life before discovering a passion for Black history as a teenager. He later graduated as his high school’s valedictorian and traveled the world as an adult.

Brown hosted the trivia event, reading the questions and answers aloud while providing historical facts and context.

Throughout the Knowledge Bowl, the atmosphere was bright and lively.

Students and staff celebrated correct answers, sang along to song snippets during the music category and cheered one another on as they moved up the leaderboard.

After the final question, the three COD students and two high school students with the highest scores collected their prize money, which was donated to the BSSC by a COD staff member.

Among the winners was Palm Desert High School student Ava Martin, who helps provide opportunities for high school students like herself to participate in BSSC events.

“We get notified of everything that happens at COD. I’m the president of our Black Student Union [at PDHS], so I get notifications and all of the information,” said Martin. “So, we just attend on our own accord. It’s not a school event, it’s not an event we pay money for or anything. We just come over here by ourselves and chill; stay out and have a good time.”

COD counselor and BSSC coordinator Mary Eden said the Black365 Knowledge Bowl is one example of the ongoing collaboration between the Black Student Success Center and high schools across the Coachella Valley.

High school students also participate in the BSSC’s Joshua Tree stargazing tour, and BSSC representatives attend high school Black Student Union events.

Through activities like these, students can build positive connections they can carry with them as they enter college.

“We go to their meetings, bring them pizza and stuff like that. We do outreach and let them know, ‘hey, this is who we are; this is another step up for you if you decide to go to College of the Desert. We’re here for you.’ Then, they have another familiar face,” said Eden.

Rose Butts, another cash prize winner, is an example of this process. Butts had previously participated in (and won) a Black365 Knowledge Bowl as a high school student, and, now, as a COD student, she continues to take part in the event, welcoming and befriending high school students who come to the BSSC.

Events like this are not just inspiring students within the Coachella Valley — Jamaal Brown travels to different schools and districts throughout the nation to host Black365 Knowledge Bowls. He said that the goal of Black365 is to encourage people to learn Black history further than what is taught in the school system and spread the knowledge of its positive impact.

“Black history didn’t just affect Black culture; it affected the entire world,” explained Brown. 

Another way of educating people on this impact is the Black365 calendar, a physical calendar sold by the company that has important historical anniversaries and contributions by Black individuals and groups for every day of the year. Since the creation of the Black365 calendar, calendars have also been made to celebrate Hispanic and AANHPI history.

The work by Black365 has been successful across the country, and the Knowledge Bowl in particular continues to be a hit with students at COD’s Black Student Success Center.

“We’ve had it for a number of years now, and it is always just engaging and exciting. You can feel the energy in this room of folks who are having a good time and learning something new,” said Dr. Mzilikazi Koné, BSSC advisor and COD professor of political science and ethnic studies. “We really hope that other folks continue to come in the future years, because it’s one of the most special things we put on here at the Center.”

In addition to the annual Knowledge Bowl, the Black Student Success Center hosts events, workshops, field trips and student services, including tutoring, throughout the school year.

Rose Butts emphasized the number of upcoming events and encouraged interested students to join in and experience the diverse, welcoming community the center offers.

“Honestly, the Black Student Success Center is just a safe place for me. There’s a lot of community here, and we all got really, really close since my first year here. We’re trying to build a community and have more people come out,” she said.

“The Black Student Success Center plays a very significant role in my eyes and, I’m sure, for a lot of the other regulars. It’s very significant to them, too.”

For more information, stop by the Black Student Success Center on the Palm Desert Campus and visit Black365.com.