During the 33rd Annual Conference of 100 Black Men of America, Inc., the organization’s global network hosted the final rounds of their national African American History Challenge and the State Farm Dollars and $ense Competition. The preliminary rounds took place on Thursday, followed by the championship round on Friday.
The African American History Challenge is the intellectual property of 100 Black Men of America, Inc. For the past 14 years State Farm has been a partner and sponsor for the program. Since its inception, the African American History Challenge (AAHC) National Competition has become the signature youth event of the 100’s Annual Conference. The Junior Division includes teams of two students who have not yet entered the 9th grade. The Senior Division includes teams of two students who are in grades 9-12. Each participating 100 Black Men chapter is allowed one team per division and one additional student per team to serve as an alternate.
“Sponsored by long-standing partner State Farm, these competitions deliver an innovative, relevant, and an exciting way for our mentees to learn about the American history that is not always taught in schools or discussed in families. As our students learn for themselves, the facts about the roles and contributions of African Americans, which includes the building and growth of America, they will be empowered to reject any future erroneous teachings,” stated Thomas W. Dortch, Jr., Chairman, 100 Black Men of America, Inc.
This academic challenge, complete with buzzers, timer and a judge firing hundreds of questions, boasts a standing room only crowd annually. In the Junior Division of the African American History Challenge Competition, 100 Black Men of Omaha, Inc. won first place, with the 100 Black Men of North Metro, Inc. (located in Atlanta) winning second place. In the Senior Division of the African American History Challenge Competition, the 100 Black Men of Omaha, Inc. won first place and 100 Black Men of Philadelphia, Inc. took home the second-place prize.
“As part of our financial literacy and economic empowerment programmatic initiatives, the 100 partnered with State Farm years ago to bring a unique financial learning experience and scholarship opportunity to our students,” stated Chairman Dortch.
The Dollars & $ense® Investment Program was designed to provide high school students with the opportunity to learn and apply best practice strategies for saving and investing. In partnership with State Farm, this 12-week program explores basic investment options and processes, reinforced through a hands-on learning experience that allows students to analyze stocks, develop analysis reports, and store analyst data. Teams present a mock financial portfolio to a panel of judges who evaluate their understanding of investment concepts, strategies, and products. Winning teams are awarded college scholarships from $1,000 to $3,000. For the Dollars and $ense Youth Investment competition, 100 Black Men of Indianapolis, Inc. was the first-place winner, 100 Black Men of Central Illinois, Inc. won second-place, and 100 Black Men of South Metro, Inc. placed third.