The Miss America pageant has crowned its first winner of Indian heritage.
Moments after winning the 2014 crown, 24 year-old Nina 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 press conference after winning the crown in Atlantic City, New Jersey’s Boardwalk Hall. “I’m thankful there are children watching at home who can finally relate to a new Miss America.”
The 24 year-old Miss New York’s talent routine was a Bollywood fusion dance.
The native of Syracuse, New York wants to be a doctor, and is applying to medical school, with the help of a $50,000 (38,000) scholarship she won as part of the pageant title.
She is the second consecutive Miss New York to win the Miss America crown, succeeding Mallory Hagan, who was selected in January when the pageant was still held in Las Vegas. The Miss America Organization will compensate Hagan for her shortened reign.
Racist tweets greet Davuluri
But soon after being crowned she was attacked with racist taunts.
“Is Miss America even American?,” said one tweet.
“MissAmerica’s name does not sounds very American ... just saying,” said another.
“This is Miss America... Not Miss Foreign Country,” another person tweeted.
But Ms. Davuluri appeared unfazed by the comments.
“I have to rise above that,” she said. “I always viewed myself as first and foremost American.”
Ms. Davuluri had planned to go to the scene of a devastating boardwalk fire in the New Jersey communities of Seaside Park and Seaside Heights Monday afternoon. But pageant officials cancelled that visit after learning that Governor Chris Christie was making cabinet officials available at that same time to business owners victimized by the fire.
Ms. Davuluri will visit at an unscheduled future date, pageant officials said early on Monday.
She will still make the traditional frolic in the Atlantic City surf Monday morning.
In the run-up to the pageant, much attention was given to Miss Kansas, Theresa Vail, the Army sergeant who was believed to have been the first Miss America contestant to openly display tattoos. She has the Serenity Prayer on her rib cage, and a smaller military insignia on the back of one shoulder.
Ms. Vail won a nationwide “America’s Choice” vote to advance as a semi-finalist, but failed to make it into the Top 10.
In a Twitter message on Sunday before the finals began, Ms. Vail wrote: “Win or not tonight, I have accomplished what I set out to do. I have empowered women. I have opened eyes.”
Ms. Jones made it into the top 5 wearing a bedazzled knee brace. She tore knee ligaments on Thursday while rehearsing her baton-twirling routine, which she executed flawlessly on Sunday night.
The pageant had pitted 53 contestants one from each state, plus District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands in swimsuit, evening gown, talent and interview competitions.
