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. The victory meant she became the first African American contestant to win in the 93 years of the competition.
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 the teen had to reset on and let out a joyous jump after her correct spelling.
