A 4-year-old girl has a knack for geography, an IQ of 145 and was just invited to be a member of Mensa, an international club for people—mostly adults—with astonishing IQs, according to AOL. The average IQ for children between 2 and 4 is between 85 and 115.
Anala Beevers, a Black girl from New Orleans, Louisiana, has an IQ that places her in the top one percent of the population. Beevers can identify all the American states and has their capitals memorized. She new the alphabet at four months old and by 18 months old, she could count in Spanish. The majority of Mensa members’ intelligence lands in the top two percent of the population. Since many IQ tests differ, Mensa accepts members based on whether or not the score above or at the 98th percentile.
In a video interview, her parents both agreed that little Anala is smarter than they are. Her mother later explained how the young one constantly corrects their grammar.
Although many commenters were proud of Anala, others posted negative remarks about her, her parents and Mensa. While some believed the story is phony, others stated that it’s not a significant story because it’s not difficult to become a Mensa member.
Anala’s father suggested that the whiz kid should get her own reality show, but several commenters disagreed. One commenter on the AOL site went as far to say that the prodigy needed new parents instead of a new reality show.
Some discredited Anala, saying she merely demonstrated memorization. One commenter responded, “As usual you are trying to bring a Black girl down before she grows up. If Mensa is so easy why aren’t you in it?”
The other commenter responded, “As usual? What is that supposed to mean? I don’t care if she’s green, memorizing is not a valid indicator of intelligence. It seems Mensa will take people that they cannot verify these days. I have lost respect for them. I get their newsletters every couple of weeks and can see how they have changed. So get off your black soapbox and stop reading color into everything.”
The racist implications in many of the comments have been overwhelming, but there still is a community of people with high hopes for her future.