Zaila Avant-garde
*On this date in 2021, the first African American won the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Zaila Avant-garde, a 14-year-old from New Orleans, Louisiana, won. Her victory made her the first African American contestant to win in the competition's 93-year history.
The only Black winner before was Jody-Anne Maxwell, representing Jamaica in 1998. Zaila triumphed after correctly spelling murraya—a type of tree—to clinch the championship. To get there, the teen had to navigate her way through words like "querimonious," "solidungulate," and "Nepeta," a word she had to reset on and let out a joyous jump after her correct spelling.
