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Walking into the Sam Burford Auditorium on the campus of Penn-Griffin School of the Arts on March 16, I hoped for something new regarding our black history.

It turns out, I was not only entertained but educated by a group of young history buffs from Penn-Griffin and High Point Central schools.

The Preparing Our Youth Foundation, Alpha Delta Zeta and Beta Kappa chapters of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity chose March 16 to present their first African American Quiz Bowl. The local version was the brainchild of Keith G. Pemberton, a local school social worker in High Point.

A little more than a month before the event, Keith contacted me about purchasing my book, “Our Roots, Our Branches, Our Fruit … High Point’s Local Black History, 1859-1960.” It was at this time he explained he and his fraternity brothers planned to do something different regarding black history.

I did not say a word, but I thought, “Boy, have I heard that before.” Usually the word different, when it comes to black history, means the same old name, places and things.

Keith wanted to use my book to create some questions about local black history and the Florence School area. As for Florence, I put him in touch with folks who knew more about that area than I. The more Keith talked, the more excited I got, and I hoped the word different would not disappoint me on March 16.

I arrived at the school early to try to figure out how Keith and his Omega brothers were going to pull this one off. The auditorium was practically empty except for a few parents, teachers, kids and Omegas, which made me feel like I was attending the first Black History Disappointment Bowl.

That quickly changed when the young ladies from Penn-Griffin came charging into the auditorium full of life and what seemed like a tactical plan to take home the first-place trophy. They had it down to a science based on the strengths and weaknesses of each team member.

On the other side of the auditorium, the Central team seemed very low-key, which may have meant they were equally as confident about winning the first-place trophy.

The game was set up like a TV game program using PowerPoint. The questions and multiple-choice answers were beamed onto a large screen on stage, and the students had a short time to use their clickers and answer the questions.

There were two moderators, professors from N.C. A&T, who read the questions and resolved issues about questions and answers. Several questions were thrown out because the students gave answers based on old recorded history that has since proved to be incorrect.

Example: Name the first African American hotel in High Point. Several white hotels were listed, as well as the Hinton and the Kilby hotels. All the students thought it was the Kilby. The Kilby can be found listed in books and newspapers in the library as the first African American hotel, but that is not true.

My friends, this is the major problem with our local black history. Someone wrote or said something 50 years ago, and it becomes factual forever. This is what happens when others write about our history. Will my book and column help? I sure hope so.

The students weren’t wrong, based on information they found in the library. However, the answer to the question is the Hinton Hotel or Hinton’s Hotel. This 11-room, wood-frame, black-owned and -operated hotel on Washington Street was in business many years before the Kilby. One source of documentation regarding this matter would be the High Point City Directories from 1910 to 1918.

Students representing Penn-Griffin in this first history bowl were Jasmine Malachi, Rebekah Singleton, Kendall Tate, Crystal Diggs and Elizabeth Underwood. They were coached by teachers Anne Adams and Stuart Johnson.

Students representing High Point Central were Malik Simpson, Aderike Anjon and Lisa Appadu. They were coached by school student specialist Dwain Waddell.

Penn-Griffin won what turned out to be a very competitive contest by the score of 5,400 to 5,300. Griffin won the honor of representing Beta Kappa Kappa and Alpha Delta Zeta chapters in the Omega’s 6th District State competition.

On April 29, the winning teams from the following schools competed in the 6th District State and District competition at the Embassy Suites in Concord: West Charlotte High School, Atkins High School, Penn-Griffin and Knightdale High School.

I was unable to attend the championship, but Keith texted me with the results as soon as the tournament was over. Knightdale won first place and our Penn-Griffin finished third.

I predict that next year Penn-Griffin will walk away with all the trophies. So, come out Nov. 17 and enjoy the second local African American Quiz Bowl. Rather than complaining about what the younger generation doesn’t know about our history, come see just how much you know.

I hope by the time Nov. 17 rolls around, some of the other schools in the area will not be afraid to take on the history buffs from Penn-Griffin and High Point Central.

Glenn Chavis researches and writes about High Point’s black history. Contact him at Storytime40@aol.com