World History

You are here: / Education / Women Who Made History / Zaila Avant-Garde Spells Her Way To Victory as the first African American by Maggie Astor and Maria Cramer

Zaila Avant-Garde Spells Her Way To Victory as the first African American by Maggie Astor and Maria Cramer

Zaila Avant-Garde wins Scripps National Spelling Bee

Zaila Avant-Garde, a 14-year-old from Harvey, Louisiana, has taken out the 2021 Scripps National Spelling Bee, becoming the first African American winner in the tournament’s 96-year history. Avant-garde correctly spelled “murraya”, a genus of tropical Asiatic and Australian trees, to take out the title ahead of Chaitra Thummala, a 12-year-old from Frisco, Texas.

The last few words were rattled off in a swift spelling duel, with only two finalists still on the stage, Chaitra Thummala and Zaila Avant-garde.

First was fewtrils (things of little value), which Chaitra, a 12-year-old who just finished sixth grade in San Francisco, got right. Then retene (a chemical isolated especially from pine tar, rosin oil and various fossil resins but usually prepared from abietic acid), which Zaila got right. And finally neroli oil (a fragrant pale yellow essential oil obtained from flowers chiefly of the sour orange and used especially in cologne and as a flavoring). To learn more go to the line below:

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/07/08/us/scripps-spelling-bee

PureHistory.org ℗ is your source to learn about the broad and beautiful spectrum of our shared History.