Harvey's Zaila Avant-garde makes spelling bee history Zaila is the first African American winner and only the second Black champion in the bee's nearly 100-year history. Author: Paul Murphy / Eyewitness News Published: 5:24 PM CDT July 9, 2021 Updated: 5:39 PM CDT July 9, 2021 NEW ORLEANS — How do you spell Zaila Avante-Garde? W-I-N-N-E-R! Thursday night, the Harvey 14-year-old won the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Avant-garde correctly spelled the word “murraya" for the win. Murraya is "a genus of tropical Asiatic and Australian tree." She said winning the competition is a dream come true. “I’ve been working towards that goal for like two years,” Avant-garde said. “To finally have it, it’s like the best possible outcome.”