A Black professor told me a white person couldn't pass this test. Here's what happened

I’m not woke. I’m not even sure I’m awake.

Not after I took a test prepared for me by University of Louisville professor Ricky Jones — and failed miserably.

In truth, I didn’t expect to pass the test. But I didn’t expect to do as badly as I did.

Before I tell you how dumb I really am, let me tell you a little about the test and how I came to take it. (There's a link to the test at the bottom of the column in case you want to take it yourself.)

The idea came up when Jones took part in an event at the Muhammad Ali Center back in October to talk about education, race and why white kids, on average, score so much better on tests than Black kids. Courier Journal education reporter Mandy McLaren emceed the event.

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One thing Jones said that caught my attention was that he could create a test that few, if any, white people in Louisville could pass.

Jones claimed American education is “rigged,” essentially because our educational system was created by white people for white people.

The point he was trying to make is that when white people create the curriculums and the standardized tests, they create them using the events and people and subjects that are important to white people.

And that puts Black students — who grow up hearing of the heroes and events that were important to their parents, grandparents, pastors and other Black people important to them — at a disadvantage.

So, I asked Jones to create that test for me.

I didn’t know what the test would include so I couldn’t really study for it.

He gave me an hour to take it with the rule being that I couldn’t use the internet or any other resources to help on the test. It was 25 questions and I needed to get 15 right – 60% – to pass.

Easy-peasy. Right?

Wrong.

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While white and Black Americans have some commonalities in our histories, there are a lot of things we don’t share.

When our white ancestors celebrated their freedom from the British, our Black ancestors were as enslaved as they ever were. When our white ancestors grew their wealth during economic booms, our Black ancestors were left out.

Which brings us to the test.

I'll let others decide how smart I am.

I’m probably not as smart as I think I am, and I’m likely not as dumb as people who almost always disagree with me think I am.

I've got a college degree.

I know things, especially when it comes to facts.

When I was in college, I was on a team that represented U of L at ESPN’s Super Bowl of Sports Trivia two years. I have always found remembering things to be easy.

Watching "Jeopardy!," I can sometimes get on a run that has my daughter telling me I ought to try out for the show. Other times I can watch the show and feel outmatched by what are supposed to be the easiest questions.

When you play "Jeopardy!," the subjects matter in determining how well you're going to do.

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When I took Jones’ test, I was completely unprepared for the subject.

He asked about events and people important to the civil rights movement – but not limited to those people and things that were important just in the 1960s when the nation made some of its greatest strides in creating a more equal society.

He was going back to the period just after the American Civil War.

“It’s not about rappers, sports, slang or silliness. It’s serious!” Jones wrote about the test on Twitter when he told his followers what he and I were doing.

(I’d have failed even worse if the test was about rappers, but I’d have done significantly better if it included sports questions – particularly baseball.)

I knew I was in trouble when I saw the first question.

“Many people know W.E.B. DuBois was the first African American to receive a Ph.D. from Harvard University. But where did he stand undergraduate school?"

What? You’ve got to be kidding me.

It didn’t get any better with the second question.

“Name four of the five Greek-letter fraternities in the ‘Divine Nine.’”

I knew two of the fraternities.

In fact, I didn’t get a question right until Jones asked in his eighth question who the first African American woman in the U.S. Senate was.

I missed one that I should have gotten right – except I always have to look up constitutional amendments to find out which one does what except the first, second and fifth.

And I got the last question right, surprising myself a little, but I felt so beaten down by that point it would have been surprising if I could have answered the question, “What is your name?”

I got five right. Five.

One, two, three, four, five. Out of 25.

Twenty percent.

I would have needed to get twice as many right just to reach a level I’d consider embarrassing.

When I told Jones how difficult the test was, he told me it was a test that anyone who had ever taken an entry-level Black studies class could ace.

I never have taken such a class. In fact, I don’t think I had a Black teacher since I was in the second grade. None in high school and none in college, though in college I did have a couple professors who were people of color — one who was Korean and another who was Middle Eastern.

I also checked my daughter's U.S. history textbook from her sophomore year in high school to see how much of what Jones included on his test is being taught in her school. The answer was five questions.

One thing I’d like to know is how an African American who hadn’t taken such a class would do on the test. I’d also like to know how the average white person would do. (I'm not sure if I'm average or above average or below average on this subject.)

Go ahead and take the test, grade yourself and report back to me at jgerth@courier-journal.com. Include your score and whether you’re Black or white. Oh, and please include whether you've ever taken a Black studies class.

No cheating.

If you take this test and do as poorly as I did and feel really dumb because of it, think about how a Black kid taking a standardized test with questions that don't relate to him feels.

And don’t worry, if you report back, I won’t put your name and score in the newspaper. Even if you are as dumb as I am.

Joseph Gerth can be reached at 502-582-4702 or by email at jgerth@courierjournal.com.

If you cannot see the test below, click here.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: University of Louisville Prof. Ricky Jones' test shows race matters