Photos show the emotional moment Miss Mississippi Asya Branch was crowned the winner of Miss USA 2020

Photos show the emotional moment Miss Mississippi Asya Branch was crowned the winner of Miss USA 2020

Miss Mississippi Asya Branch was crowned Miss USA 2020. Benjamin Askinas / Miss USA
22-year-old Miss Mississippi Asya Branch was crowned Miss USA 2020 on Monday night at Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee.
Branch was crowned Miss USA 2019 Cheslie Kryst, who held the longest reign in history after the pandemic forced organizers to postpone the spring pageant.
During the final two rounds of the competition - the final word and the final question - Branch was asked to speak about gun laws and the US political polarization.
Branch's platform helps children with incarcerated parents. She has spoken many times about her own father who spent half her life in prison.
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A new Miss USA was crowned, and this time it was Miss Mississippi who won the title.
Asya Branch, 22, was the 68th woman to win the pageant, which was held Monday night at Graceland - Elvis Presley's former home - in Memphis, Tennessee.
Branch was crowned Miss USA 2019 Cheslie Kryst, who held the longest reign in history after the pandemic forced organizers to postpone the spring pageant.
Branch was crowned Miss USA 2019 Cheslie Kryst, who held the longest reign in history. Benjamin Askinas / Miss USA
During the final two rounds of the competition - the final word and the final question - Branch was asked to speak about gun laws and the US political polarization.
"As someone who grew up in a house with guns, I learned how to charge, how to shoot, and how to protect guns at a young age," she said. "And I think that education should be available to everyone. I think we should require people to pass training and safety courses before they can buy a gun and before they can get permission."
"I think it's important that we don't ban guns because of course people will find a way to get what they want, but I think it's our second amendment and I think we just need more Security, "she added.
Branch, 22, was the 68th woman to win the pageant on Monday night. Benjamin Askinas / Miss USA
When asked what must be done to "bring America back together", the pageant queen said the US must "set a better example" if it is to "continue to be the greatest nation."
"I think it's a matter of trust," she said. "We have lost trust in the systems that seem to keep our country going - from the media to the economy to our government. The point is to restore that trust and come together and work together to heal the systems and them to trust."
Branch was visibly emotional after being named the winner. Benjamin Askinas / Miss USA
Branch attended the University of Mississippi, where she once saw a soccer game with Morgan Freeman. She currently works as a model and has her own line of cosmetics, Branch Beauty.
"What started as a makeup obsession has grown into a lucrative business that I'm very proud of," she wrote in her Miss USA biography.
Branch is a veteran of the festival round, battling it out for the 2019 Miss America title
Miss Universe Zozibini Tunzi was also there to crown Branch. Benjamin Askinas / Miss USA
Last year, she became the first African American woman to win the Miss Mississippi USA title, which entitles her to participate in the Miss USA 2020 competition.
"It's just so amazing to me that it's 2019 and that we're still having premieres in the African American community," she told WREG in October 2019 after being crowned. "It's just amazing that I could be a first in my life."
The pageant took place at Graceland - Elvis Presley's former home - in Memphis, Tennessee. Benjamin Askinas / Miss USA
Branch credits her pageant career with the confidence to speak about her experience with an incarcerated parent
Her father has been behind bars for half her life.
The pageant queen announced that she decided to share her story after a Miss Mississippi judge encouraged her to be open about her past.
"I remembered the day I came home from school and Papa wasn't waiting on the porch," she wrote in Guideposts. "Instead, our house was surrounded by strange cars - government vehicles. I wasn't quite eleven and I was so scared. Where was Papa?"
Branch was asked to speak about gun laws and US political polarization during the competition. Benjamin Askinas / Miss USA
Branch said her family lost their farmhouse after her father - who will be released in 2022 - was jailed. Her friends' parents stopped letting her go to their home for slumber parties. As she got older, Branch worked several jobs so she could afford to buy tagged pageant dresses.
"If I spoke openly about my experience, it would help other children of incarcerated parents feel less alone," wrote Branch.
Branch's platform helps children with incarcerated parents. She has spoken many times about her own father, who has been in prison for half of her life.
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As Miss Mississippi, Branch has worked to fund more than 300 letters between incarcerated mothers and their children. She said she also wrote to each inmate's child to offer her assistance.
"I tell them that I personally know how difficult their circumstances are," she added. "But that you can do everything you set out to do."
Continue reading:
Meet the 51 women fighting for Miss USA 2020
Photos show how the winning attire for the Miss USA pageant has changed over the years
Miss USA Cheslie Kryst said she never thought she could speak on stage about her support for Black Lives Matter in her early pageant days
37 stunning looks from Miss USA over the years
Miss USA Cheslie Kryst says the swimsuit contest has always been her favorite part of the festival
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Posted on 2020.11.10

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