On Sunday, September 15, the “Miss America” pageant crowned its first Indian-American, Nina Davuluri.  

The 24-year-old Fayetteville, New York, native was on the dean’s list and earned the Michigan Merit Award and National Honor Society nods, while studying at the University of Michigan, where she graduated with a degree in brain behavior and cognitive science.

Her

Nina Davuluri.

 win sparked heavy racial debates in the following days, with many applauding the “Miss America” pageant for welcoming diversity in its contest.

However, a tired theme emerged following Davuluri’s victory: Racists took to Twitter to lambaste the pageant for picking an Indian-American, with some even classifying her as a Muslim or an Arab. 

In an official statement, Davuluri dismissed the backlash, stating “I have to rise above that. I always viewed myself as, first and foremost, American.”  She hopes her win could influence millions of American girls.  

A similar reaction occurred when Dearborn, Mich. resident Rima Fakih was crowned Miss USA in 2010. Fakih is of Lebanese descent, and many were quick to try to link her to the militant group Hizbullah.