The Spelling of Words is a Racist Legacy of Colonialism and the Holocaust

Philadelphia's mayor Cherelle Parker led an Eagles chant today, but misspelled Eagles 😅

"E-L-G-S-E-S"

(h/t NBC Philadelphia) pic.twitter.com/4qjMHYVwde

— DraftKings (@DraftKings) January 21, 2025

As has long been understood in academia, spelling is part of the endless legacy of colonialism and slavery.

When the whites enslaved the blacks, they would whip them while shouting out the song “Bingo” about a dog named “Bingo.” They would shout “B-I-N-G-O, B-I-N-G-O, B-I-N-G-O and Bingo was his name-o,” whipping them once with every letter, and then ask the black to spell the word. When the black couldn’t spell it because of systemic racism, the white would beat them with the song again.

During the Holocaust, the white supremacist Nazis would tell a Jew to spell an especially difficult word such as “eagle,” and if the Jew could not spell it correctly, the Nazi would force him to do a wheelie on a Kawasaki Ninja H2R at top speed until he crashed and hit the concrete and turned into goo. The goo from the crashed Jew would then be turned into drywall paste.

That’s a fact.

So it is very sickening to see that in 2024 2025, people are mocking a brave female person of color, Philadelphia mayor Cherelle Parker, for spelling the word “eagles” as “E-L-G-S-E-S.”

Blacks have their own unique and interesting culture, and they have their own traditions for spelling. Claiming that spelling is objective is a false narrative that perpetuates white privilege.

When a black woman is speaking, that means it’s time to listen and learn.

Learn how to spell “elgses” from one of the most beautiful and brave women in this country.

I would personally be fascinated to learn how she spells “Philadelphia.”