![]() What are you doing?" He added, "It's hard to fathom now, that people would be treated like that."Īfter Bolden's win, furious members of the school board of New Orleans voted to censure its superintendent, Warren Easton. Of such sentiments, Brown says, "It's like, holy crap, these are young kids. As has reported, when one school board member considered how the team might respond to such circumstances, he replied, "Go ahead and knock the n- out." New Orleans officials knew there was a chance that an integrated team might compete at the spelling bee. Her spelling rivals included a team from New Orleans, a squad that nearly didn't compete at all, as its segregationist leaders balked at the inclusion of a Black student. Marie Bolden knew prejudice well in fact, it was one of the words contestants were asked to spell. The 1908 bee also became a magnet for racism The contest is recognized as the first nationwide spelling bee by Guinness World Records - which also notes Bolden's role. Bolden's story has only emerged in recent yearsĬleveland hosted the spelling contest in June 1908, using it as a marquee event to kick off the National Education Association's conference. Going through a box of her belongings, Brown says, they found a newspaper clipping from The Plain Dealer relating the story of the Black mail carrier's daughter who out-spelled hundreds of white kids.Īfter her stunning victory, Bolden was hailed by "a storm of applause" and congratulations from hundreds of people, including members of the team from New Orleans, according to Indiana's South Bend Tribune. It was only after Bolden died that her family realized her place in history. "I just kind of gritted my teeth and made up my mind that I wouldn't miss a word." "When I felt nervous at the Hippodrome, it steadied me to think of these things," she was quoted telling The Plain Dealer. National A 14-year-old from Florida wins the National Spelling Bee But then Bolden vaulted her team to the top prize. Washington mentioned in his speeches." Bolden's win was a national sensationīoleden's win was dramatic and unprecedented: Cleveland's team was trailing in a field that included teams from New Orleans, Pittsburgh and Erie, Pa., near the end of the contest, according to contemporary accounts. "She never talked about this award, this amazing accomplishment," Brown said. The 14-year-old did it by being perfect, spelling 500 words flawlessly to lead her hometown team, Cleveland, Ohio, to victory in the city's then-new Hippodrome Theater. ![]() "It's astounding to me" that she never talked about winning a gold medal in front of thousands of people, Bolden's grandson, Mark Brown, told NPR.īut back in 1908, Bolden's victory made national news and upended racist stereotypes, less than 50 years after the Civil War. Bolden's feat until after she died, decades later. ![]() 115 years ago, you're not alone: even many in her family didn't know about Marie C. ![]() If you haven't heard about the Black girl who won the first national spelling bee in the U.S. Her competitors included white students from segregated school districts in the South. Bolden made national headlines when she turned in a flawless performance at a spelling bee in Cleveland.
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