It was 1936, and 13-year-old MacNolia Cox had just achieved something very few children in the nation had ever dreamed of – she was one of the top five spellers in the nation.
But she sure wasn’t treated like one.
As a panel of all-white judges watched her take down her white competitors, they became noticeably uncomfortable. Surely, no Black child in the world was capable of besting white children, right?
They had to do something to stop her.
They gave her a word that was NOT on the word list. “Nemesis” was not only not on the list, but it also violated rules about what kinds of words COULD be on the list. Cox misspelled it, and was promptly booted from the competition. The illusion of white supremacy was saved – for a while.
In 2021, Zalia Avante-garde became the first Black National Spelling Bee champion, over 85 years after Cox’s monumental achievement. She earned some measure of justice over Cox’s mistreatment and the mistreatment of all talented Black children before her.
Though she may not have won the national competition, Cox’s journey paved the way for eventual champions like Zaila Avant-garde. So let’s be honest. We must always remember that our excellence is always going to be a threat to those who have believed the lies about white superiority.