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Monday night, history
was made! Asya Branch was crowned the Miss USA title – the only black woman who
previously won Miss Mississippi. It’s a wonderful time in the modeling industry
because racism isn’t prevailing, on the contrary, last year, Miss Universe,
Miss USA, and Miss Teen were all black women, and deservedly so!
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Of course, the show
must go on… and to follow that saying, the competition was different this year.
Showrunners were responsible and ensured that everyone participating adhered to
the COVID-19 safety measures regularized by the government. After slight
modifications, like all interviews were scheduled online over Zoom, and
contestants were asked to wear rhinestone-encrusted face masks, which they
cordially obliged. Obviously, this was not the requirements while they were
performing. The show was organized at the Graceland Estate in Memphis.
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By the end of the
night, Asya Brach was declared the winner! She is the first Miss Mississippi to
take home the crown because before her Miss Idaho and Miss Oklahoma were both
runner ups.
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Every since she won the
title, she’s been in news for a particularly controversial reason – and some
would argue illogically. Like, people are assuming that she was a Trump
advocate just because she sang at one of his rallies, a couple of years ago.
However, people should realize that she did so to fulfill her duty as an
employee of an organization. Furthermore, she was also seen at one of the
roundtables to show support to a cause we all care about – it’s just the Trump
happens to be the president at the time. So let’s just clear out the air and
discuss other reasons to celebrate this wonderful, bright woman.
She’s the 69th
pageant winner who made history twice throughout her reign. In one of the
interviews after her big achievement, she said that a person doesn’t have to
look a certain way to be confident and accomplish their desired goals. She gave
hope to everyone out there that anything is attainable.
She is 22 – and was
handed over the crown by Cheslie Kyrst – who herself holds the record of the
longest reign in history (the organizers had to reschedule this year’s event
for obvious reasons).
Now let’s talk about
the event. In the final two rounds – where the contestants are asked one final
question and given an opportunity to give their final word – Branch was asked
to give her opinion on gun laws and the political polarization of the USA.
She gave a response
that was highly relevant in today’s world, and we’re sure that many people
would agree with her. She said that she would like to use her voice and
platform to speak on the issues faced by children with incarcerated parents.
She spoke from experience because her father was in prison, most of her life.
Asya Branch has also
represented the state of Mississippi in Tennessee where she was awarded the
title of Elvis Presley’s Graceland. This is not it; in fact, she has an
extraordinary resume at such a young age if you are actually wondering about Asya Branch age.
image credit: Washington Times
She has attended
Harvard University for summer school and has graduated from Ole Miss. She also
has her own cosmetic line known as Branch Beauty. She is expected to resume her
duties in New York City once things calm down.
Let’s discuss her
family life a little – she has eight siblings. Asya Branch father is a retired military
officer, and her mother used to work as a teacher’s assistant. She was ten
years old when her father got arrested for kidnapping and armed robbery. Of
course, this moment stayed with her forever but she never let it bog down her
spirits.
Things changed
drastically when her father went to prison. In one of the interviews, she said
that people started looking at her family rather oddly. This moment could’ve
easily broken her but she came out victorious as she knew that her story was
not going to end with shame. She took her childhood trauma and used it as a
fuel to help other children who have incarcerated parents.
To help bring change in
the system, she has started an initiative called Finding Your Way: Empowering
Children of Incarcerated Parents. She believes in bringing criminal justice
reform – and that is exactly why she joined Trump on that roundtable.
About gun ownership and
safety, she said: “As someone who grew
up in a home with guns, I learned at an early age how to load, how to fire and
gun safety, and I think that education should be available to everyone.”
“I
think it’s important that we not ban guns, because obviously, people will find
a way to get what they want anyways, but I think it’s our Second Amendment
right, and we just need more safety surrounding that.” she
added.
Finally, to clarify
that Branch doesn’t entirely endorse Trump’s administration, she said, “We’ve lost trust in the systems that seem
to keep our country running, from the media to business to our government. And
it’s all about restoring that trust and coming together and working together to
heal and trust in these systems. If we want to continue to be the greatest
nation, we’re going to have to set a better example.”
That’s a brief look at Asya Branch biography! We believe that she has a bright future ahead! Have you followed Asya Branch Instagram already?