Miss America speaks about cultural competency
Before an audience of roughly 100 Yale students, faculty, and staff on Feb. 4 in Battell Chapel, Nina Davaluri — Miss America 2014 — shared her goal of spreading cross-cultural understanding and combating ignorance.
Last September, 24-year old Nina Davaluri became the first woman of South Asian decent to win the Miss America pageant. Following the crowning, some critics called Davaluri a “terrorist” while others stated that she was not “American enough” to represent the United States. Students from the Asian American Cultural Center (AACC) and the South Asian Society (SAS) responded to the racist commentary by organizing a dialogue to promote cross-cultural understanding. (more…)