USA: Students Prepare for African-American Spelling Bee

The Scripps National Spelling Bee is an annual national spelling competition to crown the best speller in the country. Participants qualify if they are in eighth grade or lower and may not be older than 15.5 years at the time of the finals. Only the best of the best make it as it's a very tough competition. Little surprise then that not many Blacks African-Americans make the final round, so what do they do? Why, they organise their own African American National Spelling Bee Championships so that they too can feel what it's like to compete and have a Black champion! It’s almost like having a beauty contest for ugly women so they’ll have something to compete for..... If you can't beat them fair and square, cheat. Great message to send out to Blacks - unless that message is that they're too dumb to compete against other races and win. Nothing like the victim mentality to get ahead in life - as most Blacks bank on. Now, I wonder what would happen were the Whites to decide that the NBA is too Black and they'd like to form their own league? Or, if Whites were to decide that they'd also like their own spelling Bee - just for White kids. Can you imagine the calls of racism that would reverberate throughout the world? Why, every civil rights organisation would be shaking with excitement. But, it's ok if the Blacks do it, after all, Whites are privileged their entire lives and Blacks were disadvantaged during slavery and may the White man never forget it!

Dozens of Houston area kids will be competing for scholarships and other prizes this weekend, but we still know little, if anything about the 1st African-American Spelling Bee Championships being held Saturday in Houston.

Organizers did not return phone calls from KTRH News seeking an update on the event.

We first brought you this story two months ago, and it sparked a heated on-air debate between KTRH talk show host Michael Berry and the spelling bee's Jackie Terrell on why African-American children should have a separate competition from the more popular Scripps National Spelling Bee.

"You're telling these young black children you're not good enough to compete, you don't have the parental support and school support, so we'll create something you can win," said Berry. "They have a trophy that's meaningless, there's no honor in that."

Terrell fired back saying "There is honor in that, we're creating an opportunity they wouldn't otherwise have."

Teacher Lynnette Durant agrees, and says that's why Ryan Middle School will send eight students to this weekend's event.

"The majority of our students are not being exposed to the national level, because only the top students that place from the school get to go on," says Durant. "With this we're able to get a greater number of our students exposed to something more than just the spelling bee we have here at the school."

Either way, student Audra-Lynn Eveline is happy to have the opportunity.

"I've always liked to spell. I don't know why, but I've just studied hard and kept going with my spelling," says Eveline. "It doesn't really matter if I win; I'm just very excited to participate in it."

The African-American Spelling Bee Championships are scheduled to take place 9am Saturday morning at Jack Yates Senior High School.

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