Miss USA 2020 Asya Branch said she overcame “obstacles” and defied “odds” as the “child of an incarcerated parent.”
“For those of you who may not know my story, I grew up as the child of an incarcerated parent,” the first Miss Mississippi to be named Miss USA shared, per E! News in a piece published Tuesday. (RELATED: This Contestant Had A Powerful Answer When Asked About Women Serving In The Military)
“Through the financial, mental, and emotional hardships that I faced, I learned to overcome obstacles and defy odds, but I also learned how unjust our justice system actually is,” she added. (RELATED: Miss District Of Columbia Wins Miss USA 2016)
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“I learned that many people behind bars don’t actually belong there. I learned that systemic racism does in fact truly exist. I learned that incarceration is a shared family sentence,” Branch continued.
After she “visited prisons,” spoke with inmates and “met numerous times with government officials to discuss changes in our prison systems” she told E! News she felt like she’s “truly made a difference in the lives of many” and doesn’t plan to stop. She also talked about the “initiatives” she started to “help aid in the rekindling of family bonds and relationships among inmates and their families.”
Speaking to “Good Morning America” on Tuesday after being crowned the winner of this year’s competition, Branch said the moment she heard her name called Monday night her mind went blank and she could hardly believe it was happening.
Check it out!
Congratulations to the new #MissUSA2020 @asyadanielle! She is the first Miss Mississippi to take home the @MissUSA crown! pic.twitter.com/4so8tcVdk8
— Good Morning America (@GMA) November 10, 2020
Branch also shared that she planned to continue fighting for “criminal justice” and prison reform which is “near and dear” to her heart.