Early on a February morning, nine nervous fourth-graders prepare to get up in front of the whole school to show what they've learned about African American history. Backstage, some leaf through dog-eared study guides as the auditorium begins to fill. Others quiz their teammates on the more than 700 possible questions. The anticipation is palpable; for weeks, they've been studying in every spare moment.

These children at Barnaby Manor Elementary School in Oxon Hill, Md., are taking part in the annual Black Saga Competition, the only statewide program of its kind aimed specifically at African American history and culture.

The brainchild of University of Maryland geographer Charles Christian, it has grown over the past decade from a single school to nearly 40 across Maryland. Each school's winners advance to a statewide championship at the university.

The nine children--three per team--take their seats on stage. Christian takes the microphone, his voice energized:

We're going to determine which team knows the most about the African American experience.

He's careful not to talk about winners and losers. "We don't put students in a position where they will fail--they're all winners," he says. In fact, Christian argues that after completing the Black Saga program, the children know more about the African American experience than 85 percent of the American public. To Christian, that figure is an indictment of the American education system. "If you don't know African American history, you don't know American history," he says.

The competition begins with multiple-choice questions, and the teams at Barnaby Elementary are doing well.

This popular string musical instrument was brought to America by enslaved Africans in the 17th century. Was it the banjo or violin? ... Banjo is right.

As the questions get harder, the children betray their excitement. After answering one correctly, one boy dances with his shoulders. A girl holds her head in anguish when her answer is wrong.

In 1624, this was the first colony to recognize slavery as a legal institution. Name it.

It isn't enough to answer Massachusetts. To get credit, the students have to point out the state on an unlabeled map.

In the end, a single point decides the championship. Fourth-grader Cheyenne Washington sits smiling at his certificate of participation. "My mom says I know more than her," he says.

That is exactly what Christian expects and wants. "We're anchoring these children to a past," he says. "It gives them hope. You can't have a future unless you understand your past." --NT