The competition was fierce last night as members of the Penn State black community battled one another during a game of trivia highlighting the accomplishments of famous blacks throughout history.

About 40 people gathered in the West Halls study lounge to celebrate February's Black History Month and National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) week.

The event was an annual "Black Jeopardy" game, which was hosted by the National Pan-Hellenic Council and the NAACP.

Playing the role of Alex Trebek for the night was Shamir Garland, who is the president of the Penn State chapter of the NAACP.

Garland said the purpose of the event was to educate students in a unique way that would also entertain.

"People who have fun while learning retain information better," he said.

At the beginning of the game, three teams representing the NAACP, NPHC and Black Caucus were joined by a fourth team consisting of volunteers from the audience.

Categories covered everything from African-American entertainment to historical figures.

Audience members had the opportunity to learn a wide variety of facts during the game.

Questions included information such as Malcolm X's birth name (which was Malcolm Little) and the year the first slaves were brought to the United States (which was 1619).

Prizes included free tickets to attend the NAACP-sponsored variety show called "Night at the Apollo."

The variety show is scheduled to be held Friday night at the HUB-Robeson Center.

Alexis Augustin (senior-science) said that the trivia game event allowed the black community at the university to come together in a lighthearted environment.

"It was pretty fun ... I think this is how we act when we come together," she said. "We become somewhat like a family."

Humor was also one of the factors contributing to the atmosphere of last night's competition.

Garland asked the team members to name the first black president of the United States.

He later revealed the answer to be Bill Clinton.

Maya McGeathey (senior-telecommunications), a contestant from the Black Caucus team, said that she hopes to see the event continue.

In the future, however, she hopes there will be participants from all different backgrounds.

"Things were very fun, and people of all races should come out," McGeathey said.