By Leah PackardThe new Miss France 2009, Chloe Mortaud, is speaking out about diversity in her country, according to an MSNBC.com article. She is the first Miss France winner to hold dual citizenship, in America and France. She is the daughter of an African-American woman from Mississippi and a white French man.
Race and diversity are topics traditionally avoided in French culture, but Chloe Mortaud is joining a growing number of people in the public eye who are choosing to speak out against racism.
“I want to go to people and explain to them that fear of the other is unfounded,” she said after she was crownded on December 6, 2008.
Although France has a "colorblind" precendent that labels all citizens as "French" rather than a specific race, racism, especially against immigrants from former French colonies in Africa is quite common. So common in fact that discrimination helped to spread race riots in 2005 in French housing projects.
Another public figure speaking out for the spread and acceptance of diversity is French First Lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy. She said she hoped the ‘‘Obama effect’’ would reshape French society. Minorities in Europe have a difficult time holding political office because so many elected officals are white wealthy men.
1 comment:
So interesting. I hadn't followed this contest and this was an interesting bit of publicized diversity to highlight. Good job!
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