Aysa Branch Wins Miss USA 2020 + 5 Things To Know About Her

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TSB News
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Asya Branch made history a second time Monday night. The Booneville resident became the first Mississippian to win the Miss USA Pageant during the 2020 competition at Elvis Presley’s Graceland.

Branch last year was the first African American woman to win the Miss Mississippi USA title, but it took her almost a year to get to the Miss USA stage. The Miss USA Pageant was originally scheduled for spring, but was postponed due to COVID-19.

In an interview with the Daily Journal, Branch told about her dream of being the first Miss USA from Mississippi.

“I told my mom if I win Miss USA, I would have made history twice,” Branch said. “It’s been 10 years since Mississippi made it to the top 15 at Miss USA. I’m hoping to revise that cycle and bring the crown back home to Mississippi.”

Branch, 22, was crowned by her predecessor, Miss USA 2019 Cheslie Kryst.

We’ve got five things to know about Asya.

1. Asya is the first Black woman from Mississippi to be named Miss U.S.A. Despite making up almost 40 percent of Mississippi’s population, Asya is the first Black contestant from the state to take home the top honor at the pageant’s national level. She’s been a past pageant winner, taking home Ole Miss’ Most Beautiful 2018 at her alma mater, the University of Mississippi.

2. Asya is passionate about important topics. In her question and answer portion, she said that our divided nation can find a path towards healing through the restoration of both faith in our government and the media which reports on it. Asya also said that “We should require people to pass training and safety classes” before attaining guns,” during her final statement before winning the Miss USA title.

3. Asya is dedicated to working on prison reform. After winning Miss Mississippi, Asya told fans in an Instagram post that “I’m passionate about helping people, more specifically, at risk children and the incarcerated.” She then went on to reveal, “I grew up as the child of an incarcerated parent. 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. 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.” Asya added that, “I’m grateful for the hardships that I faced because they shaped me into who I am today and made me a voice for the unheard.”

4. Asya is a pet owner.  She’s the proud mom to two dogs. Asya is frequently seen on her personal Instagram page in photos with her beloved chihuahua mix Jonas. In Aug. 2020, she adopted a sweet little mixed-breed pup named Titan.

5. Asya made sure to vote ahead of the 2020 presidential election. Civic-minded Asya shared an Oct. 12 Instagram photo of her mailing in her ballot to the Prentiss County Clerk’s office from her tiny northern Mississippi town of Boonesville. “I’ll be filming Miss USA during the election, but I couldn’t miss voting! I cast my absentee ballot!” she wrote in the caption.

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