The New Miss USA is……Mississippi!
Link: https://celebmagazine.com/asya-branch-new-miss-usa-mississippi/
The moment of truth is finally revealed. After weeks anticipation and conquering the unknown of the pandemic, were finally able to know the new title holder. Without further adew, your new Miss USA 2020 is…..Miss M-I-S-S-I-S-S-I-P-P-I, Asya Branch!
She won the judges over by her performance on stage, especially with her on stage question centering on the topic of gun control. “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,” she said. “And I think that education should be available to everyone. I believe that we should require people to pass training and safety courses before they are allowed to purchase a gun and before receiving a permit.”
Now this definitely goes without saying that this has been the most interesting competition circuit in history of the Miss Universe organization, but if there’s a will, there’s a way!
Miss USA During the Pandemic
The class of 2020 contestants prepared for the Miss USA competition for a series of weeks with many new changes. Initially, the Miss USA competition was set to be in spring 2020. Everything was going smoothly until COVID-19 came into the picture. When the pandemic peaked in March, many people initially thought the competition would get cancelled this year because of the COVID-19 protocols. However, COVID-19 couldn’t stop these queens in their tracks! The Miss Universe Organization was able to postpone the competition to Nov. 9 in place of the original competition date. This event was in Graceland, Tennessee in the former estate of the famous Elvis Presley. Then each of the contestants had to utilize their platforms and their reign despite the unpredicted matters.
These 51 ladies have been going above and beyond to make the best out of the circumstances and create change within their platforms. Bringing the beauty and brains, they truly knew how to captivate their audience even in an online platform. Most of their in-person events were cancelled, but the power of social media saved their presence. Tik Tok, Instagram, you name it! The social media world is their oyster, especially being a state title holder.
What Went Down with the Last Miss USA
Cheslie Kryst, was the longest title holder for Miss USA in the HISTORY of the Miss Universe Organization. 577 days to be exact. She handled the reign like the queen she is with big events happening across the globe with the pandemic, the Black Lives Matter Movement and the election with President Trump versus Joe Biden.
In a Charlotte Observer interview, she is most excited “to crown the next Miss USA — really just to find out who the next Miss USA is going to be, because beyond being Miss USA, I really am just a huge pageant fan,” Kryst said. “You get to see the pageantry of it all — pun intended.”
With and without a crown, she goes down as the most unforgettable Miss USA title holder in the organization and in our hearts!
Who is the New Miss USA?
It goes without saying that all the ladies killed this Miss USA competition with all the hurdles they each had over came! Keep in mind, there can only one winner and that’s Asya.
Before earning the title of Miss USA 2020, the 22-year old was the first black Miss Mississippi to earn the title. Her platform evolves around criminal justice reform for people to have opportunities to reacclimate to society after serving their sentence in prison. She chose that specific platform to advocate for people in need because a loved one experienced that type of situation. Her father was incarcerated for 10 years serving his time in prison for charges of conspiracy to commit to robbery and kidnapping.
“I think that people forget about the family that’s left behind after a parent or guardian becomes incarcerated,” said Branch. “I always say it’s a shared family sentence. My father may have been the one incarcerated, but we suffered as well in the outside world. But I realized that there are so many other people suffering from the same circumstances as myself. And so that gave me the motivation to really want to be a voice for the unheard and to set an example for other children who may not have had the same mindset and motivation and that parents had given me,” she explained in a CBS interview.
She hopes with her reign as the new Miss USA to keep breaking barriers for women along with advocating for her initial platform.
What’s Next?
Each state title holder still has some time left in their reign before passing on the honor to represent their state. As for this year’s Miss USA, Asya now has to prepare for the Miss Universe competition. There’s not a set date yet, but once it’s released, make sure to stay tuned to not miss the action!