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By correctly spelling
murraya, a genus of
tropical Asiatic and
Australian trees, Zaila
Avant-garde won the
Scripps National Spelling
Bee in Orlando on July 8.
Two years after entering
the world of competitive
spelling, the 14-year-old
from Harvey, La., made
history as the first Black
American to win the
contest (and the $50,000
that came with it).
PHOTOGRAPH BY SCOTT
MCINTYRE—THE NEW YORK
T I MES/R EDU X