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. She never showed off the gold medal she won - in fact, her family isn't sure what became of it - but in interviews after her win, Bolden told reporters she had studied hard for the competition, saying she wanted to help her city win, and that her mother and father wanted her to win. But then Bolden vaulted her team to the top prize. Washington mentioned in his speeches.'īoleden'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.

Black girl who won spelling bee