The days of insecure immigrant children opening up their exotic lunches on
The days of insecure immigrant children opening up their exotic lunches on a table by themselves are over; because diversity is the new norm, or at least it is the new beautiful. America witnessed a changing of the guard moment, when Miss New York and Indian American Nina Davuluri became the first woman of her heritage to be crowned Miss America. In addition to this, three out of the top five Miss America candidates for 2014 were of Asian descent, including Miss Minnesota Rebecca Yeh and Miss California Crystal Lee, both of Chinese decent. And of course as a new resident of Washington DC, I cannot forget to mention Bindhu Pamarthi, Miss Washington, DC, who had a good showing although, did not crack the top five.
Being of Indian American descent, I am thrilled to cheer Davuluri, who, like me and like thousands of Indian Americans, whose parents certainly push their children to be among the highest achievers, wants to be a physician. However, being an Asian American, I should also salute Yeh and Lee, and even Pamarthi for displaying and promoting the softer side of the Asian community.
Perhaps most unique about the Miss America 2014 pageant is that its beauty and diversity came in all shapes, ethnicities, talents, and inspirations. Miss Iowa Nicole Kelly, who was born without her left arm, acknowledged that the competition reinforced her resolve to promote a platform of overcoming disabilities. Miss Kansas and Sergeant in the Army National Guard Theresa Vail showed off her tattoos, which gained admiration from millions of Americans and scorning from many as well. Despite the controversy, Vail’s participation included certain Americans otherwise disengaged into the mainstream tent. Miss Texas Ivana Hall respectfully represented the African American community, just weeks after the 50th Anniversary of MLK’s March on Washington.
This is certainly not to imply that the pageant has never had diversity, in fact, it has a long history of variety. The first Asian American woman to win Miss USA was Macel Wilson in 1962; the first Hispanic was Laura Martinez-Herring in 1985; the first African-American, Carole Gist in 1990; and the first Miss USA of Middle-Eastern descent was Rima Fakih in 2010.
Despite this, the process of diversity is not smooth. Racist remarks floated around in the cyber space against various races and religions. This turmoil reminds us that the process of diversification will take more time and more intense efforts. Those who feel threatened with the diversity should get adjusted; better be sooner and faster. America is becoming more and more like Baskin Robins, but with even more flavors. America was once a cultural melting pot; today, it is a cultural mosaic. It is undeniably in our best interest as a nation to accept the beauties of every race, as America houses nearly all races of the world.
The face of America has changed, but we now eagerly await a similar revolution in its voice. As an American by birth, an Indian by lineage, and an Asian by legal classification, I put my ear to the sky, hoping to hear a whisper from the moon. Its light is universal, as are the inalienable rights all humans share, despite recent events and murmurings that would suggest otherwise. Still, one message rumbles the earth and echoes through the night sky; it is a new era, and lady luck is bilingual.