Advertisement1st African American To Win The Spelling Bee Also Holds 3 Basketball World RecordsUpdated July 09, 2021Dana FarringtonEmma BowmanfacebookEmailZaila Avant-garde, 14, from Harvey, La., celebrates winning the finals of the 2021 Scripps National Spelling Bee on Thursday. (AP)This article was originally published on July 08, 2021.