In the wake of the Miss America pageant last night on ABC…I went to bed with a few thoughts:
1) Bummed my girl, Miss California Crystal Lee, was 1st Runner-up (totally bias on that one as a former Miss CA)
2)Excited that history was made with the crowning of the first Indian Miss America
3)Miss America truly embodied America. The women came in all sizes, shapes, backgrounds and ethnicities.
Watching the last two women standing (Miss California, Crystal Lee (Chinese) and Miss New York, Nina Davuluri(Indian))last night was particularly cool for me being that I am half Chinese and half Indian. Rewind my age 25 years and last night would have been revolutionary. Two well educated women (one a Stanford grad and the other a Michigan grad), beautiful, poised, well spoken, dedicated to the community as Asian American. Glass ceilings were broken for Asian American girls all over the world. Countless little girls went to bed last night and dreamed a little or a lot bigger. The world was truly their oyster and anything could be possible if you just dreamed it. So last night as I went to bed, I had a huge smile on my face. We all watched history being made. I am/was very proud last night to be an Indian American and celebrate the latest accomplishment of a fellow Indian woman. Last night was the perfect example that American women come in all different sizes, shapes, backgrounds and ethnicities and Miss America showcased exactly that.
This morning, all those happy thoughts I had seemed to be marred by all the racist remarks all over twitter, instagram and facebook made about the new Miss America, Nina Davuluri. Some claimed that she was part of the Al-Qaida, she was referenced to being more of Miss 7-11 than Miss America, and her family was being linked to terrorism and it goes on. People even on my own twitter feed said that Miss Kansas was more of the “real Miss America” because she served/serves in the military, practices archery and sports tattoos. Yes, Miss Kansas is a commendable woman but so were the other 51 women competing last night that all could have made fabulous Miss Americas. My heart was broken. Should skin color change how one views another? Didn’t we just celebrate 50 years of Martin Luther King’s speech, “I have a dream?” Were people this ignorant? Racist? What compelled people to take to twitter, facebook, instagram and blogs with such hate? Why were people not more tolerant? Shouldn’t we celebrate one’s cultural background versus bashing it? Why don’t people know there is a difference in being an Indian and being a terrorist in the Middle East?
Part of what I love about being an American is that we celebrate diversity…or do we just celebrate the idea of diversity? Never in a million years did I think there would be this kind of social media backlash that happened over an Indian winning Miss America. As a mother, I am extremely troubled by all of this backlash over Nina Davuluri. Her accomplishment last night should be celebrated as a historical moment and not torn down because of her ethnicity and skin color. How do I ensure that my child truly see past skin color? Is this going to be an issue since for my child since his ethnic background is 25%Chinese, 25%Indian and 50%European? How do I instill in him that we look at people as individuals and not by skin color? How do I build cultural competence and tolerance in my little world? Are there some education pieces that need to happen in schools and in homes so that all children are taught to embrace differences?
So as I sit here digesting my thoughts, I am left wondering…is America truly a melting pot or is it just an ideal? I want to know what you think!