The black girl from DC - Spellbound (2003) Discussion

[–] mochabird 20 years ago

That was Ashley, and as far as I know she is doing well, attending Howard University. I hope she comes to this site and reads this post, because you're right--she's a strong, beautiful girl :)

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[–] 20 years ago

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[–] Spastastic 20 years ago

idiot...next please

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[–] moBUvieguy 20 years ago

The young woman was just profiled in today's (6/4) Washington Post. She is doing well, but she could use some financial help. Is there anyone who knows how this could be accomplished. Yes, she is inspiring.

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[–] Wizzy1291 20 years ago

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A13893-2004Jun3.html

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[–] elizabizzzle 18 years ago

First of all, going to college is NOT cheap by any means. Let alone while raising a child and supporting yourself.

And, in case you can't read - "18-year-old Ashley White -- arrived home from her job as a salesclerk, having just picked up her 10-month-old daughter from day care"
she DOES have a job. I'd like to see you go to school, raise a kid, and support yourself all on $8 an hour.

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[–] vertigo_14 18 years ago

ashley did an awesome job, especially considering how awfully nervous the whole experience at the national's made her.

as for the indian kid (was it georgie) who's grandfather paid the village people to pray and cheer for the kid in return for feeding them rice if he won...i like how generosity for fellow man is based on routing for some kid in the states to spell words well. how idiotic.

You will be cast out by locusts and a flock of BMX goons.

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[–] cyNICKel 18 years ago

i'd like to see you properly utilize birth control so you wouldn't have a kid at 18 that you're incapable of supporting.
++++++++++
Hawks are the FUTURE

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[–] miz bell 20 years ago

i was rooting for her! and that is totally racist.... come on- omorasa is black : she's black and that's the basis for your comparison? get out of your bubble suburb dude

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[–] 20 years ago

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[–] sgt3 19 years ago

There are so many ways to look at her situation, but I think the "get a job" comment represents the most narrowminded way. We all make bad choices that often result in negative consequences; however, when we look at other people's situations, we always tend to look at it from our own point of view, not theirs. We take the attitude, "well, if I were in her situation, here's what I would do." It is very easy to think that way. Perhaps too easy. It prevents us from actually taking the more challenging route of trying to see a situation from another person's point of view, taking into consideration their life, their abilities, their history, and their emotional baggage.

I work with children for a living, and am part of developmental assessments. One particular subtest I have routinely given children has to do with a one's ability to follow a sequence of logical events and predict consequences. They are basically putting picturs in a particular order so that they tell a story that makes sense. I've seen children perform wonderfully on this test, and others who have performed poorly. Some are still extremely bright, others maybe not so much. But I have found it is generally the latter who make poor choices, have behavior problems, are rather unpredictable, and need more guidance.

Personally, I do not know what it is like to navigate the world without this somewhat innate ability, as it is relatively easy for me to logicaly sequence my life so that I can predict my outcomes with some accuracy. I still make mistakes, but don't we all. But if you compound a lack of this ability with no parental guidance and poor examples, it changes the entire complexion of someone elses situation. In other words, it is extremely difficult to truly see a situation from another person's point of view. But you have to try, otherwise you lose the ability to be empathetic and to a lesser extent even compassionate.

Obviously I don't know all of the factors that contribute to this particular woman's situation, but that's the point. I don't know, and neither do you.

Anyways, this got kind of long. I apologize for that. Great film!!!

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[–] vertigo_14 18 years ago

these comments assume that everyone's lives are not interdependent. it's all social, economic, and political ecology, folks. the mom may have voiced her opinion rather loudly about her daughter's relative invisibility among spelling bee champ press. but i wonder if it was just lack of involvement on the part of the school board or city in general. i would expect this of dc.

You will be cast out by locusts and a flock of BMX goons.

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[–] mman37x 18 years ago

> the mom may have voiced her opinion rather loudly about her daughter's relative > > invisibility among spelling bee champ press. but i wonder if it was just lack of > involvement on the part of the school board or city in general. i would expect > > this of dc.

Well, the only spellers who tend to get a lot of pre-NSB publicity are those who did well the previous year. Ashley was going for her first time.

And, having won a regional bee where the winning word was "plague," Ashley was extremely unlikely to survive the early rounds.

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[–] Brandon80934 19 years ago

I felt the same way. It didn't seem like her parents or family had the time invested like the other familys did, but she kept on. My favorite line in the whole movie was her first line.
"My life is like a movie [How's that?] Because I go through different trials and tribulations and then I finally overcome." - Ashley

I wish her the best, and I'm sad that she fell in to her 'family pattern' of being a single mother so young. I can say I didn't expect that out of her.

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[–] molin 19 years ago

Her spelling 'lycanthrope' is one of the most emotional things that I have ever seen on television.

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[–] aw8975 19 years ago

It didn't seem like her parents or family had the time invested like the other familys did, but she kept on.

I liked how her teacher called her "an angel." But her mother rubbed me the wrong way a bit. It's interesting how people on this board comment about how she didn't seem to have the same parental support as the other contestants. But her mother pointed the finger at Washington D.C. at least twice. Why can't people take responsibility for their own lives? Her daughter was obviously very disciplined and likable. Yet the mother seemed more focused lack of support from the city than her daughter's enormous accomplishments. That was my take.

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[–] Alex_Buchner 19 years ago

I went to highschool with Ashley and although I didnt know her very well it was amazing to have the experience of seeing someone I know in such a dramatic situation. I didn't come here with the intention of posting a message but after reading i feel as though I need to say something. Some of the posts I read are painful. As much as I would love it if ashley sees the post that began this conversation, I would be very disappointed if she were to run across some of the ignorant and mean things that followed. You can have your opinions about people and decisions they make, but when discussing them I think you need to keep in mind that you are talking about a REAL person. This is not an actor playing a part, this is a real person and she most likely feels pain the way other people do. I don't think it is fair of anyone to pass judgement or be so openly disrespectful just as a part of an argument on a movie webpage. That's really all I have to say at this point, I hope you all understand. And Ashley, if you do ever read this... say "HI" to DC for me and dont ever forget to represent the Penguins!
-Alex

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[–] jlahorn 19 years ago

Hi, Alex. Welcome to the internet ;)

Public figures are always discussed, positively and negatively. Politicians, actors, criminals, musicians, and yes, documentary participants. If you're going to read what people think about you, you have to have a sense of perspective and a thick skin. Otherwise, stay away.

Is there any difference between "Famous Actress SUCKED in Terrible Movie, and can you believe she's dating that loser? I saw her on Letterman last night, and she's as stupid as she looks" and comments about Ashley's life choices? There really aren't any. Each Famous Actress/Politician/Musician is a person, too, though they likely have more money :)

From http://www.femalefirst.co.uk/celebrity/54962004.htm :

"[Reese Witherspoon] is quoted in Britain's Daily Express newspaper as saying: "I'll go on the internet late at night and find out what people really think about me.".

The blonde beauty admits she is sometimes hurt by the comments she reads.
She revealed: "It hurts my feelings sometimes though, because I get comments like, 'She looks weird', 'I hate her movies' and 'She stinks'".

"Oh God, it feels terrible. Everyone is entitled to their opinion though I think I should just move on"."

Even non-public figures, by exposing their opinions and any details of their lives, open themselves up to the possibility of criticism. It's just something you have to learn to deal with... or stay out of public fora. For example, the next post on this thread may rip me to shreds for being callous and unfeeling, especially if I were to voice my opinion that Ashley most certainly is NOT inspiring, as another poster called her... she may have been at the time of the documentary, but now, she's just sad. Coming from behind, being the underdog and succeeding -- that's inspiring. Being the underdog and then screwing up the rest of your life is just normal, expected, depressing :(

I wish her well and I hope she starts making better choices, but she doesn't get a free pass for being a "real person". We're all real people.

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[–] aw8975 19 years ago

Agreed. I think that if you know someone personally, it would be difficult to read honest opinions about them. But her mother agreed to it and must accept it.

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[–] j_keyz25 18 years ago

Man, you people are funny. Aren't there more important things to voice your strong and unwanted opinions about? I guess that's why our country is so *beep* up. We'd rather bash a young black girl who was in a DOCUMENTARY or read the tabloids to see who's dating who, than speak up about a president that lies, a country at war, ? Get a life. It was a DOCUMENTARY and I can't believe you people have the audacity to talk about her like that. Most of you are probably failed actors/writers/musicians who wish they had her 15 minutes of fame. Keep it up. Somebody's gotta be a hater.

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[–] DNasty99 15 years ago

I suppose the difference here is that you feel that appearing in a documentary about spelling Bee's as a kid fairly opens her life up for the kind of excessive scrutiny that is unfortunately commonplace in regards to celebrities. Appearing in a spelling Bee documentary as a kid is very different from an adult making a conscious decision to be a famous and public figure, so I don't see much relevance in your Witherspoon comparison.

I even feel that we often cross the line in regards to how much we pry into the lives in grown adult celebrities even if I have little sympathy some of them at times.

We know so little about what goes on in other people's lives and we often unfairly judge their lives based on what we hear about in media. It becomes a type of cheap entertainment that I'd hope we can avoid more as a society.

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[–] don-lockwood 18 years ago

Her mother was certainly justified in saying how she felt. It's difficult seeing that other people's children have gotten more support than yours did. Ashley worked really hard to get to D.C., and her mom was upset, and rightfully so, that she wasn't being recognized more for her efforts.

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[–] baby_kicks08 18 years ago

lol i loved this girl! but i found it funny how when he mother is talking by herself the first time she keeps saying........it's hodd..it's hodd....(it's hard)
it made me laugh :)

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[–] 18 years ago

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[–] raptor_claw_93 17 years ago

yeah i really liked her character in the movie! She was like the only one i tought who didnt have that much pressure but he mother supported her alot.

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[–] mhsmocktrial 16 years ago

Watching the movie, I really felt Ashley's mom's attitude was the healthiest; basically she was saying her daughter had done something awesome and that's great, she should be commended and if the community were really the unbiased capital of justice and democracy D.C. claims to represent to the world, then it would rise to support Ashley too. Her mom was clearly loving and proud, but not about to make the Bee the focus of the family's life, which was probably better for everyone when it's a spelling bee among kids. Frankly, I'm not sure Ashley's life would have been better for having months of study and thousands of dollars of coaching poured into her time at the Bee. She was a sweet, smart kid and a great speller and her accomplishments absolutely prove it. Is it fair that her talent as a speller was measured against kids whose parents had more money to dedicate to coaching? Not really, but at the same time I think that sort of pressure sometimes only makes people more stressed and devestated when they lose.

My heart goes out to Ashley having heard where she's at now; I'm also working my way through school and it's hard enough living with my parents and without a kid, I can only imagine how challenging it is for her. But seeing that rational optimisim and dedication that she radiated in Spellbound, I'm sure she'll excel. I think if anything her story shows that you can be brilliant and driven and still money is the most potent factor in our supposed educational meritocracy in the US.

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