Sometimes, I really want to weep for the United States of America.
Last night, Deshauna Barber, a Commander in the United States Army and Miss District of Columbia, was crowned Miss USA. I’ve never followed the pageant closely, but it didn’t take long to see the racist backlash.
Some people attacked Barber for her answer to a question about women in the military; however, more people were exceptionally bothered by the colour of her skin.
Some called for a revolution.
BISH, WHEETTT? The WRONG skin colour? Revolt for what?! Revolt because someone from the USA won Miss USA?! Am I missing the logic orrr…?
Many people demanded segregated beauty pageants.
Okaaaaaay.
1. We don’t care who was/n’t your choice. You weren’t on the judging panel.
2. Blacks (and Latinxs and Asians and Native Americans and evvverybody else) are supposed to be afforded the same opportunities as their white counterparts. So Deshauna Barber had every right to not only compete in, but win Miss USA (because hey, it’s 2016).
3. Miss Black America was founded to protest the lack of black women in the Miss America pageant. The point of Miss Black America is to include those who have been excluded. White people have always been included. Why is this even an issue?
4. If you want to get petty, Miss Black America has to do with Miss America and not Miss USA; so again, why is this even an issue?
5. Points 3 and 4 are irrelevant because nowhere does it say that a black woman can’t win the pageant.
6. Did I mention it’s 2016?
7. Why am I even spelling this out for you?
What saddens me is that Barber’s win came with backlash and couldn’t just be a celebration.
What saddens me is that Barber isn’t getting the proper respect as a woman who has served in the military.
What saddens me is that this has happened many times before (like when Vanessa Williams became the first African-American to win Miss America in 1983 or when Nina Davuluri became the first Indian-American to win Miss America in 2013, to name a couple).
What saddens me is that people STILL think this way in 2016.
What saddens me is that I’m not surprised by this hate at all.
NEWS FLASH: White is NOT America. You cannot, with good reason, lose your s#%t JUST BECAUSE someone whose skin has been kissed by nature’s sun wins something. White is not the default. White is not America. It is a part of America, but it. is. not. America.
America – all of it: South, Central, North, and specifically the United States of – is not even a melting pot (where everything looks the same), but a SALAD of so bloody many distinctly different people of different races, ethnicities, religions, etc. Tomatoes don’t look nor taste like lettuce. Cucumbers don’t look nor taste like onions. Olives don’t look nor taste like feta cheese. But when you put them all together, you have a bomb greek salad.
The same goes for the United States and the rest of the world. Different is good. Different is bloody amazing. It’s beautiful – in all of its shades. How dull life would be if everything was monochromatic and the same. How can we grow if we don’t recognize, celebrate, and learn from each other’s differences?
To Deshauna Barber, a beautiful American, thank you for your service and for being a representation of part of your country. Congratulations, Miss USA.
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