Racist tweets greet Miss America as India cheers
A barrage of racist tweets quickly greeted crowning of the first winner of Indian descent.
NEW YORK CITY (AFP) - Miss New York Nina Davuluri is the new Miss America, but a barrage of racist tweets quickly greeted the crowning of the first winner of Indian descent.
The 24-year-old aspiring physician beat contestants from 49 other states, the US capital city s District of Columbia, the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico to win the coveted crown in Atlantic City, New Jersey late Sunday.
In second place was Miss California Crystal Lee, who earned a $25,000 scholarship. But racist slurs abounded on Twitter over the win by Davuluri, who performed a classical Bollywood fusion dance for the talent portion of the competition. Many wrongly described the beauty queen, who is believed to be a practicing Hindu, as an Arab who looks like a terrorist.
Lue Brasili exclaimed "9/11 was 4 days ago and she gets miss America," while user Karl Sharro said "Al-Qaeda influenced the liberal judges."
Others, like the Jezebel feminist blog, denounced the comments, saying "racists are being racist because Miss America isn t white." "This world is so ignorant. MissAmerica Indian or not had every right to gain the title of MissAmerica. This is why I want to leave America!" chimed in @CJlovebug.
Davuluri competed on the platform issue of "celebrating diversity through cultural competency." During her 2014 year of service as Miss America, she will travel about 20,000 miles (32,190 kilometers) each month to speak to audiences about her chosen issue.
The University of Michigan honor student will also serve as the official national goodwill ambassador for the children s charity group Children s Miracle Network Hospitals. Along with her much-prized title, Davuluri won a $50,000 scholarship to pursue her education.
The first Miss America pageant winner of Indian heritage was cheered by family members halfway around the world. Nina Davuluri s grandmother told The Associated Press that she cried when she saw the news on television.
"I am very, very, happy for the girl. It was her dream and it was fulfilled," 89-year-old Vege Koteshwaramma said by phone from her home in the city of Vijaywada, in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.
The 24-year-old Davuluri , a U.S. native, will begin the first day of her reign Monday the same way most of her predecessors did, with a frolic in the Atlantic City surf. She will also speak at a news conference about Sunday s win.
Davuluri wants to be a doctor and is applying to medical school, with the help of a $50,000 scholarship she won as part of the pageant title.
Koteshwaramma said there are numerous doctors in the family, both in the U.S. and India, and that if her granddaughter wants to become one, "I am sure she will do it."
Asked about her granddaughter appearing in a bikini, given the conservative attitudes about such things in India, Koteshwaramma said: "I haven t seen any such thing. This must be all part of the competition."
Moments after winning, Davuluri described how delighted she is that the nearly century-old pageant sees beauty and talent of all kinds.
"I m so happy this organization has embraced diversity," she said in her first news conference after winning the crown. "I m thankful there are children watching at home who can finally relate to a new Miss America."
