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Jody-Ann Maxwell celebrating her Scripps Howard Spelling Bee win in 1998.
As accolades continue to pour in for Zaila Avant-garde, the first African American winner of Scripps Howard Spelling Bee Competition, many are forgetful of the fact that the first black winner of the competition was Jamaica s Jody-Anne Maxwell.
It has been 23 years since the Ardenne High alumnus won the hearts of Jamaicans when she created history on the international scene by winning the prestigious spelling competition in 1998.
Thursday s victory of the 14-year-old African American has rehashed the memories for many Jamaicans, who were also quick to point out to some Americans on social media who incorrectly rewrote history , dubbing Zaila as the first black person to win the Scripps Howard Spelling Bee, that Maxwell had already accomplished that feat.
Zaila Avant-garde: Teenager makes history at US spelling bee
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media captionWatch as Zaila Avant-garde becomes the first African American to win the contest
A teenage basketball prodigy has become the first African American to win the US Scripps National Spelling Bee.
Zaila Avant-garde, a 14-year-old from New Orleans, Louisiana, cruised to victory with the word murraya , a type of tropical tree.
To get to that point she had to spell out querimonious and solidungulate .
Despite practising for up to seven hours a day, she describes spelling as a side hobby - Zaila s main focus is on becoming a basketball pro.
Zaila Avant-garde, a 14-year-old from Louisiana, has become the first black American student to win the
Scripps National Spelling Bee.
The finals were held in Florida on Thursday night (July 8) and 11 kids competed in the round after advancing from virtual rounds.
Zaila is now the first African-American to win the competition in the Spelling Bee’s 93-year history. She’s also the first Louisiana resident to win and only the second Black student to win.
Jody-Anne Maxwell from Jamaica became the first Black winner back in 1998.
Click inside to find out the winning word…
The winning word in the final round was “Murraya,” which is “a genus of tropical Asiatic and Australian trees (family Rutaceae) having pinnate leaves and flowers with imbricated petals.”
Scripps National Spelling Bee.
The finals were held in Florida on Thursday night (July 8) and 11 kids competed in the round after advancing from virtual rounds.
Zaila is now the first African-American to win the competition in the Spelling Bee’s 93-year history. She’s also the first Louisiana resident to win and only the second Black student to win.
Jody-Anne Maxwell from Jamaica became the first Black winner back in 1998.
Click inside to find out the winning word…More Here! »