Zaila Avant-garde: First Black American Winner of the National Spelling Bee
Zaila Avant-garde, winner of the 2021 Scripps National Spelling Bee.
Credit: © Heather Harvey, ESPN Images/Scripps National Spelling Bee
M-u-r-r-a-y-a. Murraya, a genus of tropical Asiatic and Australian trees. Also, the winning word of the Scripps National Spelling Bee on July 8, 2021. Luckily, it was one the finalist knew. Zaila Avant-garde jumped for joy after correctly spelling the word and becoming the first Black American winner of the Bee, and the second Black winner. In 1998, the first official Black winner of the Bee was 12-year-old Jody-Anne Maxwell of Jamaica.
Avant-garde was born in Harvey, Louisiana, in 2007. At just 14 years old, she was not only the spelling bee champion, but also a holder of three Guinness Book of World Records titles for skill with a basketball. She possesses the world records for “Most Bounced Juggles” with four basketballs in one minute, “Most Dribbles” with four basketballs in 30 seconds, and “Most Basketballs Dribbled in One Minute Simultaneously” with six basketballs.
Avant-garde started competitive spelling only two years prior to her national win and $50,000 prize. Outside of her home schooling, Avant-garde studied words for 7 hours a day. She also had three spelling tutors and special computer programs for spelling preparation.
Being the first Black American winner of the Scripps Cup is something Avant-garde doesn’t take lightly. With a lower median income in the United States, Black and Hispanic families have fewer resources to succeed at competitive spelling. A commonly used study-aid called SpellPundit costs $600 per year (as of 2020). Other spellers hire previous competitors to tutor them for $200 per hour. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Scripps organization sent resources and computers to hundreds of finalists. This action helped more than 200 children participate in the bee.
The first Scripps National Spelling Bee took place in 1941, presented by the E.W. Scripps Company. It started with dozens of spellers and over the decades has grown to hundreds of competitors. Succeeding in the spelling bee can open doors to higher education, internships, and higher-paying jobs.
