Nina Davuluri

Nina Davuluri

Miss America 2014, Nina Davuluri, at the International Alliance for the Prevention of Aids (IAPA) benefit dinner, April 19, 2014.
Born April 20, 1989[1]
Syracuse, New York, U.S.
Residence Fayetteville, New York, U.S.
Nationality American
Ethnicity Indian American
Education University of Michigan
(B.S.Brain, Behavior & Cognitive Science, 2011)
St. Joseph High School
Occupation Public speaker and advocate
Known for First Indian American Miss America and Miss New York
Height 5'7"[1]
Title Miss America 2014
Miss New York 2013
Miss Syracuse 2013
Second Runner Up, Miss New York 2012
Miss Greater Rochester 2012
First runner up at Miss America's Outstanding Teen 2007
Miss Michigan's Outstanding Teen 2006
Term September 15, 2013 - September 14, 2014
Predecessor Mallory Hagan
Successor Kira Kazantsev
Religion Hinduism
Website
Official Website

Nina Davuluri (Telugu: నీనా దావులురి; born April 20, 1989), Miss America 2014 and Miss New York 2013, is the first Indian American (and second Asian American) to be chosen as Miss America and the first to perform a Bollywood dance on the Miss America stage. She is also "the first Miss America to receive xenophobic and racist comments about being a terrorist or Muslim extremist,"[2] as well as being of an Indian ethnic background,[3] on social media.

Davuluri's current work as a public speaker is an extension of her time as Miss America, where her platform was "Celebrating Diversity Through Cultural Competency,"[4][5] and when she promoted STEM.[6] Beginning in the Fall of 2016, she plans to pursue a joint MPP/MBA (Master of Public Policy/Master of Business Administration) program with an emphasis on International Relations and Marketing.[7]

Childhood, education, and pageants

Davuluri was born on April 20, 1989 in Syracuse, New York,[1] to Hindu Telugu parents [8][9] from Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, India.[9] Her mother Sheela Davuluri is an information technology specialist and her father Chaudhury Davuluri is an OB/GYN.[8] Her elder sister Meena is a medical student at SUNY Upstate Medical University and the President of Upstate's student chapter of the American Medical Association.[10][11]

When she was six weeks old, Davuluri was brought to live with her grandmother and aunt in Vijayawada. She stayed there until she was two and a half years old, at which time her parents brought her back to the United States.[12] She would return to India every summer, however, to study various forms of Indian dance.[8] She also speaks Telugu.[13]

Davaluri lived in Oklahoma for a period as a child until her family moved to St. Joseph, Michigan when she was 10.[14] While in Michigan, she studied ballet, tap dance, and jazz dance. She was also a "high school marching band clarinetist, cheerleader, varsity tennis player and Science Olympiad team member at St. Joseph High School."[8] She graduated from St. Joseph in 2007,[14] the same year that her family moved to Fayetteville, New York.[15]

Davuluri was initially waitlisted from the University of Michigan and attended Michigan State University for the fall of her freshman year. She then reapplied and was admitted to the University of Michigan for the spring semester of her freshman year.[16] Davuluri was a Sigma Kappa (Alpha Mu,)[17][18] a member of the Indian dance squad, Maya,[8] and the recipient of several awards including Dean's List, Michigan Merit Award, and National Honor Society Award.[19] She graduated in 2011 with a B.S. in Brain, Behavior & Cognitive Science.[8][17][20] Originally a pre-med student (Davuluri returned to New York after graduation and took nine pre-med courses at Le Moyne College),[21][22] she announced midway through her tenure as Miss America that she would be not be applying to medical school in the future.[23][24]

Miss Michigan Outstanding Teen and Miss New York

Davuluri notes that she became involved in pageants in order to pay for college.[10][25] She began competing while a resident of Michigan, won Miss Michigan's Outstanding Teen 2006, and was first runner-up at Miss America's Outstanding Teen 2007. She received $25,000 in scholarship funds[14][26] and then "took about five years off from the pageant world" in order to finish her undergraduate education.[26]

Davuluri returned to the pageant world in 2012 (this time as a resident of New York) in order to pay for graduate school.[26] She was "Miss Greater Rochester" 2012[27] and consequently the second runner up in the Miss New York 2012 pageant[28][29] (where Mallory Hagan won the "Miss New York" 2012 pageant and would later win the title of Miss America 2013 in Las Vegas).[28][29] Davuluri competed again the following year and won the title of "Miss Syracuse" 2013.[30] She then went on to win the title of "Miss New York" 2013, becoming the first Indian American to do so.[10][31][32] Her sister Meena and their mother helped Nina to prepare for the Miss New York pageant.[10]

After she was crowned Miss New York, Davuluri invited friends to her hotel room for a party. A fellow contestant in a neighboring hotel room claimed that she overheard Davuluri refer to Mallory Hagan as “fat as [bleep]" during the party. According to a Miss America official: "The situation was investigated fully back in July and there is no validity to the story whatsoever. Miss New York spoke to Mallory Hytes Hagan to let her know there was no validity and to apologize if she was offended in any way.”[33] Davuluri has also stated in interviews that she did not make these remarks and that "Mallory and I are good friends."[4] In addition, Davuluri has spoken publicly about losing 53 pounds (24 kg), her personal struggles with bulimia, and her belief that 'you don't need to be a certain size to be healthy.'[34][35]

Miss America 2014

Miss America, Nina Davuluri, during the 2014 Miss America traditional toe dip, September 16, 2013.

"I really wanted to help effect a change in beauty standards [....] Miss America's branding is so associated with the girl next door, which has always meant blonde hair and blue eyes with only a few exceptions, but the girl next door must evolve as the country evolves. When I was younger I wanted to fit in, but I was aware growing up that I didn't fit that mould, and I really wanted to help make a change that meant young girls wouldn't feel like that."

—Nina Davuluri[25]

Davuluri served as Miss America 2014 from September 15, 2013 to September 14, 2014. The 2014 pageant was held at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey, thus returning to its original venue after nine years in Las Vegas.[36] It was co-hosted by Chris Harrison and Lara Spencer and was broadcast live on ABC. The panel of celebrity judges for the top 15 finalists were: Deidre Downs Gunn, Carla Hall, Barbara Corcoran, Amar'e Stoudemire, Lance Bass, Joshua Bell, and Mario Cantone.[37]

For the talent portion, Davuluri performed a fusion of Bollywood dance with Indian classical dance (she grew up studying Indian classical dance forms Kuchipudi and Bharatanatyam).[5][9][12][38] She choreographed the routine with the help of Nakul Dev Mahajan and performed it to the song, "Dhoom Taana," from the Bollywood film, Om Shanti Om.[5][39][40] Davuluri stated in an interview with Inside Edition that for her talent routine, she "actually started off singing." She eventually chose instead to do a Bollywood fusion dance because it was "so representative" of her, despite the fact that many people told her that she was "never going to win with a Bollywood talent so just go back to singing if you are serious about it." She also noted that it was the first time that a Bollywood dance routine was performed at the Miss America pageant.[34]

In the final moments of the Miss America pageant, Davuluri and Miss California Crystal Lee were the last contestants left on the stage. They were approached by co-host Lara Spencer who asked how they were feeling at that moment. Davuluri stated that she and Lee were "both so proud. We’re making history right here, standing here as Asian-Americans."[41][42][43] In a later interview with NPR's Michel Martin, Davulri described the moment as a, "very surreal, out-of-body experience, being there in the final two. I was holding hands with Miss California, Crystal Lee, and we were both standing there at such a historic moment — two Asian-Americans who were going to take the title and to be a new symbol of hope and encouragement." [26]

Response and significance

"I have to rise above that [...] I always viewed myself as first and foremost American."

"The biggest thing I realized is that many of these remarks aren’t necessarily meant to be malicious but are simply a factor of ignorance [...] understanding everyone’s beliefs and backgrounds and finding that common ground so we can all communicate in an open, honest and respectful manner [...] is something I’ve essentially been promoting my entire life.”

—Nina Davuluri, in response to the "flood of racist criticism on social media" after her win.[44][45]

Shortly after she was crowned Miss America 2014 by Miss America 2013 (Mallory Hagan), xenophobic and racist comments[46][47][48][49][50] relating the proximity of the event date to the nine-eleven anniversary and to anti-Indian sentiment appeared on social media.[46][48][48][50][51][52][53] News agencies cited tweets that misidentified her as Muslim or Arab, associated her with groups such as Al-Qaeda, and questioned why she was chosen over Miss Kansas Theresa Vail.[46][48][51][54] Davuluri said that she was prepared for the social media response because "as Miss New York, I was called a terrorist and very similar remarks."[30][55] In a speech for her alma mater, St. Joseph High School, Davaluri added: "I had people flat out call me a terrorist ... I've always viewed myself as first and foremost American and to me it was just absolutely intolerable ... I have to say I'm also so proud of the younger generations, yourselves included, for really stepping up to those comments because for every one negative comment tweet or post I received hundreds if not thousands of words of positive remarks and support and encouragement." [56] A St. Joseph Senior, Triston Corneman, was impressed by Davuluri's choice not to retaliate against those who attacked her, stating that she "showed that two hatreds don't make a kindness."[57]

Miss Kansas Theresa Vail denounced the social media backlash and offered her support for Davuluri.[58][59][60][61] U.S. Representative for New York's 3rd congressional district, Steve Israel also condemned the social media backlash.[62] In addition, actor and activist George Takei (Star Trek's Sulu) defended Davuluri in a post on Facebook.[63][64] Takei later appeared a joint ABC News interview with Davuluri, in which she revealed that she is a Trekkie. Davuluri ended the interview by stating, "I have to say 'Live Long and Prosper'" at which point Takei offered her the Vulcan salute, which she returned.[65]

"In India, the more fair you are, the more beautiful you are considered. They spend tons of money on lightening creams and bleaches. In America, we want to spend more on getting tan. It’s an idea of wanting what you can’t have [...] it’s an unrealistic expectation of beauty standards."

— Nina Davuluri [8]

A different discussion developed in India in response to Davaluri’s win with regard to her complexion. Moni Basu in CNN,[66] Rega Jha in BuzzFeed,[67] and Mallika Rao in The Huffington Post [68] all noted Davaluri’s win had “reignited”[66] a debate in social media over complexion-based discrimination in India. Mallika Kapur for Time stated that "many say" Davuluri "is too dark skinned to win" in India.[69] The editorial staff of The Hindu concurred, asking “if Ms Davuluri would have ever made it past the qualifying rounds of a beauty contest in India. In a country where a multi-crore rupee cosmetic industry thrives on promises of lightening a woman’s skin colour in 10, 20 or 30 days, it is fair to say that the dark complexioned 24-year-old would not have stood a chance.” [54] Dean of Yale Law School, Asha Rangappa, agreed, arguing that “despite being a country of almost a billion people, India has left it to America to crown the first Indian beauty queen who looks... well, Indian [....] Davuluri's title offers some vindication for the Indian women and girls whose value, according to Indian standards, has been eclipsed by the color of their skin.”[70] Ruchika Tulshyan also noted in Forbes that Davaluri “would unlikely be crowned a winner in a beauty pageant in India. The Asian subcontinent has always defined beauty by lighter skin color; Aishwarya Rai is a great example of this. The models, actresses and beauty pageant winners from India have usually had one thing in common – fair skin.”[71] Finally, Anitha Menon stated in The Michigan Daily that "in India, fair is beautiful; dark is irrelevant. Miss India, year after year, looks more white than Indian. The most recent Miss America, Nina Davuluri, is too “dusky” to ever win an Indian beauty pageant."[72]

While the Miss World (Reita Faria, 1966; Aishwarya Rai, 1994; Diana Hayden, 1997; Yukta Mookhey, 1999; Priyanka Chopra, 2000), Miss Universe (Sushmita Sen, 1994; Lara Dutta, 2000), and Miss Earth (Nicole Faria, 2010) pageants have showcased winners from India, Davuluri is the first Indian American to win the Miss America pageant [36][68][73] and the first to win the Miss New York title as well.[26] NPR's Michel Martin discussed the significance of the 2014 Miss America pageant in an interview with Davuluri. Martin noted that while Davuluri was not the first Asian American to be Miss America (the first was Filipino American Angela Perez Baraquio in 2001)[74] "there were" Martin said "five Asian-Americans competing for the crown. That's the highest number in pageant history. Three of you were in the top five. Two of you were the finalists, and this in a contest where initially the requirements were that contestants be of good health and of the white race."[26][75]

Davuluri is the second Miss Syracuse to win the Miss America title after Miss New York 1983, Vanessa Lynn Williams (the first African American winner and Miss America 1984).[76][77] Both she and Williams won when the pageant was held in Atlantic City and both faced a backlash over their respective wins.[76][77] In addition, Congresswoman Grace Meng compared Davuluri to Miss New York 1945, Bess Myerson (to date the only Jewish-American winner and Miss America 1945)[77][78] who also faced discrimination during her time as Miss America.[79][80][81][82][83]

In August 2014, fashion designer Tony Bowls announced that he designed a shoe in her honor called, "The Nina."[84][85]

Platform

"Last Tuesday, the first Indian Miss America, Nina Davuluri, came to speak at Yale University. She is also the first Miss America to receive xenophobic comments about being a terrorist or Muslim extremist. In addition to being all-around well spoken, graceful and sassy, she thoughtfully explained her platform of cultural competence and stressed that patiently answering people’s questions is one of the strongest ways to combat ignorance [....] Responding to offensive questions with tolerance and patience might be more effective than harsh words. As we can see from Davuluri’s response to her critics, tolerance begets tolerance."

—Lorraine James, a junior at Yale University, February 2014[2]

During her year of service, Davuluri spoke at various high schools and colleges to promote her platform ("Celebrating Diversity Through Cultural Competency")[4][5][55][86] and STEM (the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics to students).[87][88][89] She elaborated on this platform in a talk given at Yale University[90][91][2] as one which uses social media as a form of activism.[91][90][2] Describing it as her 'Circles of Unity' movement, Davuluri encourages students to see social media as a tool to spread cultural awareness and combat ignorance.[90] In a different interview, Davuluri stated that she "really hope[s] this dialogue creates a new positive and enlightening discussion via social media. I hope that people will understand that regardless of your different beliefs or backgrounds, we can all still communicate and respect one another in an open and honest manner. That’s not to say we have to agree with everyone’s beliefs, but I hope people will develop that fine line of respect and honesty."[92]

During one visit to Central York High School in Pennsylvania, 18-year-old student Patrick Farves was suspended after he asked Davuluri to his 2014 prom during a Q&A session.[93][94] Davuluri asked that the suspension be rescinded in a post on Facebook,[93] but school administrators stated that they must maintain a set level of expectations for student behavior.[94] Farves later stated that he regretted the joke as it overshadowed Davuluri's platform.[94]

Davuluri is also a spokeswoman for PETA, extending her campaign of "celebrating diversity" to the adopton of homeless dogs in animal shelters.[95]

On October 16, 2013, Davuluri met President Barack Obama through a joint meeting with the Children's Miracle Network Hospital Champions at the White House.[25][96][97] Obama previously met with Miss Americas Laura Marie Kaeppeler (2012), Caressa Cameron (2010), and Katie Stam (2009) during similar events.[98] [99][100] In addition, in March 2008, President George W. Bush met with Miss America Kirsten Haglund also for the same cause.[101]

Post-Miss America

In September 2014 after she completed her year as Miss America, Davuluri and PBS NewsHour Weekend anchor Hari Sreenivasan served as the Master of ceremonies for a talk given by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (as part of his first official visit to the United States since being denied a visa in 2005)[102] in New York City's Madison Square Garden.[103][104][105]

She continued to speak at colleges on a variety of topics. In an October 2014 talk for East Carolina University, Davuluri discussed the harassment that she faced during her childhood. Noting that she was "called everything from Miss 7-Eleven to a terrorist," Davuluri challenged her audience to stand up to stereotypes and bullying through language, as "words have power. Any time you speak, you are influencing someone."[23] Later, in November 2014, she spoke on the topic of women in STEM at Northeastern University.[106]

In February 2015, Davuluri was appointed as one of the new trustees to the Miss American Foundation Board.[107]

In March 2015, Davuluri spoke at Harvard and Princeton. Earlier in the month, she participated in the Harvard Undergraduate Council's "Side by Side" Gender Equality campaign.[108][109] A few weeks later, she spoke at Princeton as part of an event "sponsored by the Pace Center for Civic Engagement, Carl A. Fields Center for Equality and Understanding, the Princeton Women’s Mentorship Program, the Princeton Perspective Project, American Studies Program, Asian Pacific American Heritage Month Committee, Butler College, Whig-Clio, the Women’s Center, Gender and Sexuality Studies, Princeton Hindu Satsangam and the Hindu Life Program as part of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month."[16][110]

Further reading and viewing

Articles

Videos

Miss America 2014 and 2015

Response in the U.S.

Response in India

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Nina Davuluri IMDB". IMDB.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 James, Lorraine (Feb 10, 2014). "JAMES: Miss America’s wisdom". Yale Daily News.
  3. ↑ Virani, Aarti. "Miss America, Julie Chen and the beauty of choice". CNN.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Calloway, AJ (September 17, 2013). "Miss America Nina Davuluri Opens Up About Racist Remarks". Extra (TV program).
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Tsering, Lisa (September 17, 2013). "Mahajan Choreographs Another Winning Performance". India-West.
  6. ↑ "Nina Davuluri Official Website: Speech Topics". Nina Davuluri.
  7. ↑ Decker, Erica (March 24, 2015). "Five Minutes With Miss America 2014 Nina Davuluri". genprogress.org.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 8.6 Montemurri, Patricia (October 29, 2013). "Miss America — her own way: Michigan girl next door evolves, winning admiration for championing diversity". Detroit Free Press.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Tsering, Lisa (September 16, 2013). "Indian American Nina Davuluri Wins Miss America 2014". India-West.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 O'Connell, Max. "New Miss America fulfills her own platform of celebrating diversity". S. I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. Retrieved September 17, 2013.
  11. ↑ "Upstate to host 140 medical students from the Northeast". SUNY Upstate. January 2013.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Bhattacharjee, Sumit (September 17, 2013). "Miss America has roots in Vijayawada". The Hindu.
  13. ↑ Kelly, Craig (April 9, 2014). "There she is ... in Bluffton:Miss America speaks on cultural diversity at Bluffton University". The Lima News.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 Matuszak, John (September 23, 2013). "Memories of Miss America: SJ graduate Nina Davuluri is first Indian American to win the pageant; former teacher cherishes her insightful 2007 essay". The Herald Palladium.
  15. ↑ Doran, Elizabeth (September 23, 2013). "Fayetteville's Miss America contestant, Nina Davuluri, hopes to make top 15". The Post-Standard.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Sekhsaria, Shriya (March 31, 2015). "Miss America 2014 discusses personal journey, cultural standards". The Daily Princetonian.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Wizner, Taylor (September 16, 2013). "Alum wins Miss America competition". The Michigan Daily.
  18. ↑ "Out & About:Nina Davuluri, Miss America 2014". Sigma Kappa Sorority.
  19. ↑ "Miss America 2014 Biography". Miss America Organization.
  20. ↑ "Famous Alumni of the University of Michigan: Popular Culture". University of Michigan.
  21. ↑ "Nina Davuluri launches her whirlwind year as Miss America in New York City". syracuse.com. Retrieved May 2014.
  22. ↑ "Miss America Nina Davuluri Interview 'Applying to Medical School". ABC News. Retrieved April 2014.
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 Haskin, Grace (October 23, 2014). "EVERYONE HAS A STORY': Former Miss America brings diversity message to campus". East Carolina University.
  24. ↑ "Miss America Nina Davuluri no longer wants to be a doctor, says family pressured her". The Post-Standard. Retrieved April 2014.
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 25.2 Milligan, Lauren (November 5, 2013). "Challenging The Miss America Stereotypes". Vogue.
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 26.2 26.3 26.4 26.5 Martin, Michael (September 18, 2013). "Is Nina Davuluri American Enough to be Miss America? (NPR Interview)". NPR. Retrieved October 5, 2013.
  27. ↑ "Miss America was Miss Greater Rochester in 2012". Democrat and Chronicle. September 17, 2013.
  28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 MacKinnon, Eli (June 19, 2013). "Park Slope beauty crowned Miss NY". Brooklyn Eagle.
  29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 Perone, Tim (June 17, 2013). "B’klynite crowned Miss NY". New York Post.
  30. ↑ 30.0 30.1 Khemlani, Anjalee (November 16, 2013). "Miss America promotes cultural dialogue amid racist stereotypes". The Press of Atlantic City.
  31. ↑ Doran, Elizabeth (September 15, 2013). "Miss New York wins Miss America". The Post-Standard.
  32. ↑ "NINA DAVULURI CROWNED MISS NEW YORK". Miss New York. September 27, 2013.
  33. ↑ "Beauty queen: Miss America ‘fat as [bleep]‘". Page Six Magazine. September 13, 2013.
  34. ↑ 34.0 34.1 Park, Andrea (October 3, 2013). "Miss America Nina Davuluri talks weight struggles, bulimic past and racist backlash". MetroBoston.
  35. ↑ Wischhover, Cheryl (October 3, 2013). "I Worked Out With Miss America". ELLE.
  36. ↑ 36.0 36.1 Cavaliere, Victoria (September 16, 2013). "Miss New York is first Indian-American to win Miss America". Reuters. Retrieved September 23, 2013.
  37. ↑ "THE 2014 MISS AMERICA NATIONAL JUDGES PANEL ANNOUNCED". PageantCast. August 21, 2013.
  38. ↑ Shekhar Pandey, Kavi (November 9, 2010). "Bhangra, Bollywood and hip hop in IASA's annual cultural extravaganza". The Michigan Daily.
  39. ↑ Sen, Zinia (September 25, 2013). "Its time to rise above colours: Miss America 2014, Nina Davuluri". Times of India.
  40. ↑ Gandhi, Lakshmi (September 20, 2013). "Miss America’s Choreographer Nakul Dev Mahajan Tells Us How That ‘Bollywood Fusion’ Dance Came to Be". The Aerogram.
  41. ↑ Stern, Marlow (September 16, 2013). "Nina Davuluri Crowned Miss America: The First Miss America of Indian Descent". Daily Beast.
  42. ↑ "Miss America's runner-up is Miss Silicon Valley, a Stanford grad". September 16, 2013. Retrieved 2014-02-04.
  43. ↑ "Groundbreaking Miss America Winner Miss New York Takes Home Pageant Crown." ABC News, September 16, 2013
  44. ↑ Associated Press (September 20, 2013). "Miss America Nina Davuluri brushes off racist criticism after victory". The Guardian.
  45. ↑ Geoffrey Hunt and Rajendrani Mukhopadhyay (November 2014). "‘More than pretty’: Former Miss America Nina Davuluri confronts stereotypes about beauty, ethnicity and intelligence". American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.
  46. ↑ 46.0 46.1 46.2 Hafiz, Yasmine (September 16, 2013). "Nina Davuluri's Miss America 2014 Win Prompts Twitter Backlash Against Indians, Muslims". Huffington Post.
  47. ↑ "Miss America 2014: How I Survived the Hate". Official Site: Bloomberg News. September 20, 2013.
  48. ↑ 48.0 48.1 48.2 48.3 Abad-Santos, Alex (September 16, 2013). "The First Indian-American Miss America Has Racists Very, Very Confused". The Atlantic.
  49. ↑ Wischhover, Cheryl (September 26, 2013). "Is Bollywood the New Zumba?". ELLE.
  50. ↑ 50.0 50.1 Judkis, Maura (September 22, 2013). "Miss America fights post-pageant racism with a beauty queen’s poise". Wall Street Journal.
  51. ↑ 51.0 51.1 Broderick, Ryan (September 16, 2013). "A Lot Of People Are Very Upset That An Indian-American Woman Won The Miss America Pageant". BuzzFeed.
  52. ↑ Beck, Laura (September 16, 2013). "Racists Are Being Hella Racist Because Miss America Isn't White". Jezebel.
  53. ↑ Greenhouse, Emily (September 20, 2013). "COMBATTING TWITTER HATE WITH TWITTER HATE". The New Yorker.
  54. ↑ 54.0 54.1 Editorial (September 19, 2013). "Pigment of our imagination". The Hindu.
  55. ↑ 55.0 55.1 Keeler in the Morning (October 2, 2013). "[AUDIO] Miss America on Keeler in the Morning". WIBX950 AM. Retrieved October 2, 2013.
  56. ↑ "Miss America visits Michiana alma mater". WNDU. May 20, 2014.
  57. ↑ MATUSZAK, JOHN (May 21, 2014). "A St. Joseph High homecoming". Herald Paladium.
  58. ↑ Sastry, Keertana (September 14, 2014). "The 2014 Miss America Winner Stirred Controversy, But the Ugliness had nothing to do with Nina Davuluri". Bustle.
  59. ↑ Vail, Theresa (September 2013). "Theresa's September Blog". Miss Kansas.
  60. ↑ Gould, Joe (September 30, 2013). "Miss Kansas: 'Raise hell' about sexual harassment". Army Times.
  61. ↑ Brady, Dani (September 29, 2013). "The story behind the crown: an interview with Miss Kansas 2013". University Daily Kansan.
  62. ↑ Israel, Steve (September 30, 2013). "Do not attack Miss America". TimesLedger Newspapers. Retrieved September 30, 2013.
  63. ↑ Takei, George (September 16, 2013). "George Takei's Facebook Page". Facebook.
  64. ↑ St. Clair, Katy (September 17, 2013). "Racism reigns after Indian woman crowned Miss America". The San Francisco Examiner.
  65. ↑ "After Defending Miss America From Racial Comments, George Takei Meets Nina Davuluri For First Time". ABC News. September 18, 2013.
  66. ↑ 66.0 66.1 Basu, Moni (September 26, 2013). "'White is beautiful:' Why India needs its own Oprah Winfrey". CNN. Retrieved October 5, 2013.
  67. ↑ Jha, Rega (September 17, 2013). "Is Miss America Too Dark-Skinned To Ever Be Crowned Miss India?". BuzzFeed.
  68. ↑ 68.0 68.1 Rao, Mallika (September 16, 2013). "Why Miss America, Nina Davuluri, Would Never Win Pageants In South Asia'". The Huffington Post. Retrieved September 17, 2013.
  69. ↑ Kapur, Mallika (September 19, 2013). "India's Disturbing Obsession with Fair Skin". Time.
  70. ↑ Rangappa, Asha (September 17, 2013). "Miss America and the Indian Beauty Myth". Huffington Post.
  71. ↑ Tulshyan, Ruchika (September 16, 2013). "Why We Need An Indian Miss America". Forbes.
  72. ↑ Menon, Anitha (October 18, 2014). "Michigan in Color: The Unbearable Weight of Sunlight". The Michigan Daily.
  73. ↑ Mascarenhas, Roland (October 4, 2013). "Opinion: Why Nina Davuluri matters". The Vancouver Sun.
  74. ↑ Alumit, Noel (September 19, 2013). "The First Asian American Miss America Responds to the Hate". Huffington Post. Retrieved September 27, 2013.
  75. ↑ "Miss America:People & Events: Breaking the Color Line at the Pageant (American Experience)". PBS. January 27, 2002.
  76. ↑ 76.0 76.1 Stern, Marlow (September 21, 2013). "Vanessa Williams, the First Black Miss America, On Nina Davuluri and Racism". The Daily Beast.
  77. ↑ 77.0 77.1 77.2 "Vanessa on Valentine’s Day:The most successful Miss America in the entertainment world, Vanessa Williams brings her love of the stage to Caesars on Feb. 14.". Atlantic City Weekly. 2014-02-12.
  78. ↑ Jha, Lalit K (September 17, 2013). "Nina Davuluri's win similar to Bess Myerson's: US lawmaker". Daily News and Analysis.
  79. ↑ "PBS American Experience: Miss America Transcript". PBS American Experience. 2002.
  80. ↑ Nemy, Enid (January 5, 2015). "Bess Myerson, New Yorker of Beauty, Wit, Service and Scandal, Dies at 90". New York Times.
  81. ↑ Hollander, Sophia (January 5, 2015). "Bess Myerson, Miss America who rose in politics and fell in scandal, dies at 90". Wall Street Journal.
  82. ↑ Woo, Elaine (January 5, 2015). "Bess Myerson, Miss America who rose in politics and fell in scandal, dies at 90". Los Angeles Times.
  83. ↑ Green, Michelle (June 29, 1987). "Downfall of An American Idol". People Magazine.
  84. ↑ Bowls, Tony (August 1, 2014). "Tony Bowls Shoe named after Miss America!". Tony Bowls@Twitter.
  85. ↑ "Miss America Gets a Shoe Named After Her". PRWeb. August 19, 2014.
  86. ↑ "Miss America Organization Launches Social Media Campaign To Promote The Celebration of Diversity Through Cultural Competency". Miss America Press Release. Retrieved October 2, 2013.
  87. ↑ "Miss America visits Atlantic City H.S. to discuss STEM education, diversity". Press of Atlantic City. January 15, 2014.
  88. ↑ "Miss America emphasizes importance of science and technology careers". Delaware County Daily. Feb 13, 2014.
  89. ↑ "Seeing is Believing: Role Models Inspire Student Achievement". Huffington Post. March 20, 2014.
  90. ↑ 90.0 90.1 90.2 Dixon, Blake (February 5, 2014). "Miss America talks cultural awareness". Yale Daily News.
  91. ↑ 91.0 91.1 Pomeranz, Cody (February 8, 2014). "Everybody Has a Story with 2014 Miss America Nina Davuluri". Yale Daily News. Retrieved March 5, 2015.
  92. ↑ Harris, Aleesha (October 30, 2013). "Miss America Nina Davuluri talks style, heritage and facing off against discrimination". Vancouver Sun.
  93. ↑ 93.0 93.1 "Miss America Nina Davuluri asks school to reconsider suspension of student who asked her to prom". Syracuse.com. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
  94. ↑ 94.0 94.1 94.2 "Miss America defends student suspended for asking her to prom". Today. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
  95. ↑ "Miss America Wants You to Celebrate the Beauty of Diversity—Adopt a Mutt!". peta.org. Retrieved 19 June 2014.
  96. ↑ "Miss America 2014 Nina Davuluri Meets President Barack Obama at the White House for the Annual Children's Miracle Network Hospitals Celebration". Miss America. October 16, 2013.
  97. ↑ "Here's What You Missed During the Shutdown:Welcoming Miss America". The White House. October 18, 2013.
  98. ↑ "Miss America 2012 Laura Marie Kaeppeler Meets President Barack Obama at the White House for the Annual Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals Celebration". Miss America. September 19, 2012.
  99. ↑ "Miss America 2010 Caressa Cameron Joins Children's Miracle Network to Meet with President Obama". Miss America. June 11, 2010.
  100. ↑ "Miss America 2009 Katie Stam Joins Children's Miracle Network to Meet with President Obama". Miss America. March 25, 2009.
  101. ↑ "Miss America 2008 Kirsten Haglund Meets President George W. Bush with the Children from Champions Across America". Miss America. March 18, 2008.
  102. ↑ Gowen, Annie (September 26, 2014). "India’s Modi begins rock star-like U.S. tour". Washington Post.
  103. ↑ Burke, Jason (September 28, 2014). "US turns on charm as Narendra Modi roadshow rolls into New York". The Guardian.
  104. ↑ Sinha, Shreeya (September 27, 2014). "Indian Leader Narendra Modi, Once Unwelcome in U.S., Gets Rock Star Reception". The New York Times.
  105. ↑ Pennington, Mathew (September 28, 2014). "India's Modi takes Madison Square Garden (+video)". Christian Science Monitor.
  106. ↑ Northeastern News (November 5, 2014). "Miss America visits Northeastern". Northeastern University.
  107. ↑ "Two Elected to Miss America Foundation Board of Trustees". Miss America Organization. February 27, 2015.
  108. ↑ Linek, Piotr (March 3, 2015). "UC Launches 'Side by Side' Gender Equality Campaign". The Harvard Crimson.
  109. ↑ "Join the Side by Side Launch on March 2nd (with Miss America!)". Harvard University Undergraduate Council. 2015.
  110. ↑ Sekhsaria, Shriya (March 31, 2015). "Q&A: Miss America 2014 Nina Davuluri". The Daily Princetonian.

    External links

    Wikimedia Commons has media related to Nina Davuluri.
    Awards and achievements
    Preceded by
    Mallory Hagan    		 Miss America
    2014     		Succeeded by
    Kira Kazantsev
    Preceded by
    Shannon Oliver    		 Miss New York
    2013     		Succeeded by
    Amanda Mason