Miss America crowns 1st winner of Indian descent; racist tweets flow
"If you're #Miss America you should have to be American," said one.
"WHEN WILL A WHITE WOMAN WIN #MISSAMERICA? Ever??!!" screamed another.
Nina Davuluri is American. She just happens to be of Indian descent. In fact, she's the first Indian-American to be crowned Miss America. But the tweets that followed the 2014 pageant in Atlantic City on Sunday night didn't focus on how it's the second consecutive year that a Miss New York has taken the crown, or about the judge's questions (including ones about Miley Cyrus and Syria). They were about Davuluri's heritage.
"Well they just picked a Muslim for Miss America. That must've made Obama happy. Maybe he had a vote," vented one person. Not that it bears pointing out, but Davuluri's not a Muslim -- and the president didn't have a vote.
The 24-year-old Davuluri, who's from Syracuse, competed on a platform of "Celebrating Diversity through Cultural Competency." For the talent portion, she performed a classical Indian dance fused with Bollywood moves. "The liberal Miss America judges won't say this - but Miss Kansas lost because she actually represented American values. #missamerica." That was Todd Starnes , host of Fox News and Commentary.
"Miss America? You mean Miss 7-11," tweeted Jalin Leatherman, perpetuating the tired stereotype about Indians and convenience stores. Davuluri's father is a physician. And she wants to be one too. She once battled bulimia, according to a profile of her on syracuse.com.
Being a trailblazer isn't easy. When Rima Fakih was crowned Miss USA in 2010 , she faced a nasty backlash as well. Fakih is of Lebanese descent, and many were quick to try to link her to the militant group Hezbollah.
Source: CNN
