America is diverse, but since Miss America 2014 Nina Davuluri was crowned, it seems some American people have forgotten we all come from somewhere else.
America is a melting pot. Like it or not, it is the “land of opportunity” and represents freedom for those coming from other countries. The “girl next door” is not the image we thought of 15 years ago. And in 10 years, she won’t be the same as today.
Recently, Nina Davuluri was crowned Miss America 2014. She is the first Indian-American Miss America. The competition has come a long way in the past 30 years with lots of “firsts” for the competition.
Thirty years ago, Vanessa Williams became the first African-American woman to be crowned. This year Davuluri was in the final round with another Asian-American.
Now you may be thinking, “So why is this a problem?” In today’s world, it shouldn’t be, but ignorance and racism are still everywhere.
After being crowned, Twitter exploded with hateful tweets saying things like “Egypt dancing? This is America” (her talent routine was a Bollywood fusion dance) and “nice slap in the face to the people of 9-11 how pathetic #missamerica.”
First off: India is not in Egypt. Get an atlas.
She was born in America. Therefore, she is American. Blonde, blue-eyed girls are not the image of America anymore. Times have changed, and they will keep on changing.
Indians and Arabs are two totally separate races. Take a geography or history class (or any class for that matter).
Also, an entire race should not be blamed for an attack. How would people feel if I blamed all Europeans for slaughtering the Indians or all Germans for the Holocaust? There are extremists in every race and religion. Just because one person or group does something horrible doesn’t mean you should categorize the entire race or religion with that person.
Davuluri has been on multiple radio and news shows because she has received so much social media attention. On Wednesday, she had an interview with NPR and she spoke about the positive feedback she is receiving.
“It’s a difficult situation, and that was something I experienced even as Miss New York. That being said, for every one comment that I have seen or received, I have received dozens of positive words of encouragement, support and love,” Davuluri told NPR.
Keep an open mind and accept others for who they are. America is changing. Accept it.
Esaili is a junior majoring in journalism.
