How Miss America overcame hate and racism
Nina Davuluri had grown up watching Miss America since she was a little girl. To Nina, Miss America was a distant dream that would be hard to achieve because she looked a certain way.
As an experienced pageant contestant, Nina was told her cultural dancing "would never win." Despite the pressure, Nina stayed true to her identity and made history as the first Bollywood dancing talent performance in the Miss America pageant.
Even after her win, Nina faced racist hate comments all over social media. Nina used the controversy and negative conversation as a platform to discuss acceptance and diversity.
Her main message: "know who you are, love who you are, and stand up for who you are."
The controversy surrounding Nina's win in 2013:
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