Indian American winning Miss America title, great: Carney

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Press Trust of India Washington
Last Updated : Sep 19 2013 | 8:40 AM IST
An Indian American crowned with the Miss America title is great, a top Obama Administration official has said.
"I think it's great, personally. I haven't spoken about it with him (Obama), so I don't have his thoughts," White House Press Secretary Jay Carney told reporters yesterday, when asked about the response of US President Barack Obama on achievement of the Indian American.
This is for the first time that an Indian American, which so far has dominated competitions like spelling bee, geography bees, math Olympiad and science competition, has bagged the coveted title.
In an interview to Fox News, the 24 year-old Indian American beauty pageant brushed off the racial remarks against her after she was crowned with Miss America title over the weekend and instead focused on promoting diversity.
"I have always viewed Miss America as the girl next door, but for me the girl next door is evolving as the diversity in America evolves. She's not who she was 10 years ago, and she's not going to be the same person come 10 years down the road," she said.
"It was an unfortunate experience," Davuluri said in response to a question on racial messages against her on social media networks.
"But for one negative tweet, one negative post, comment, there were dozens of positive remarks and support," she said.
Nina Davuluri being the first Indian American to hold the title of Miss America is something that all Americans should celebrate, wrote Andrew Lam, an editor at New America Media, in an op-ed.
"Every generation needs to redefine and articulate what its American identity means. To do so, they need a sense of openness, an acceptance that identity is open-ended and inclusive. In the spirit of diversity, I, too, am rooting for Davuluri, America's future," he wrote.
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First Published: Sep 19 2013 | 8:40 AM IST

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