Mississippi’s Asya Branch Is the New Miss USA
On November 9, Asya Branch—who hails from Mississippi and was the reigning Miss Mississippi USA—was crowned Miss USA 2020.
To adhere to COVID-19 safety measures and allow the show to go on, the pageant had to make some big modifications in a matter of months. Interviews were completed in advance over Zoom rather than in person. Contestants wore rhinestone-encrusted face masks, except when performing. And the entire show was held at the Graceland Estate in Memphis.
At the end of the night, the 22-year-old Ole Miss graduate and the first Black woman to represent Mississippi in the pageant was crowned the winner. (She’s also the first Miss Mississippi USA to take home the title, ahead of runners-up Miss Idaho USA Kim Layne and Miss Oklahoma USA Mariah Jane Davis.)
So what do we know about Asya Branch? From her ties to recently defeated President Donald Trump to her support for the Second Amendment, read on to learn everything you need to know about the winner of the 69th pageant.
She’s the first Black woman to be crowned Miss Mississippi.
When Branch took the title of Miss Mississippi in 2018, she became the first Black woman to do so. She also represents another first—bringing the state its first Miss USA crown. “I'm grateful to have been able to make history twice throughout my reign and am excited to be representing the country,” she tells Glamour. “You don't have to look like the person that came before you to accomplish a goal. Anything is attainable.”
Moving quickly, Branch will relocate to New York as she prepares to represent the United States in the upcoming Miss Universe pageant. “It may take me a little while to transition from Mississippi's pace to New York's pace, but I'm ready for it!”
She’s a Southern belle at heart.
Branch was born in Detroit, but moved with her family to Booneville, Mississippi, in 2003 before started kindergarten. According to the Miss USA website, she was 17 when she left the state of Mississippi for the first time solo to attend summer school at Harvard University.
“I was enrolled in two for-credit courses. One was public speaking and the other was psychology and law,” she says. “I definitely learned so much from those courses, and from the people—being surrounded by so many cultures that I had never been exposed to really opened my eyes to how much broader the world is just outside of Mississippi.”
Branch was also very athletic throughout high school—she ran track and field, was a member of the dance team, and served as the cocaptain of the Booneville High cheer squad.
After high school Branch went on to major in integrated marketing communications, with an emphasis in public relations and a minor in general business at the University of Mississippi.
She has eight siblings.
The daughter of a retired military veteran and a teacher’s assistant, Branch hails from a tight-knit family. “There’s never a dull moment—maybe moments of aggravation—but it’s nice to have someone to always talk to,” Branch said in this video posted to the Miss USA YouTube channel back in September. “You have so many more supporters, so many more people to laugh and joke with, and it just makes life 10 times more fun!”
Branch is the first in her family to compete in pageants. “I have two younger sisters I've put in one or two pageants, like the school Beauty Review, just for fun,” she tells Glamour. While pageantry may be her preferred “sport” of choice—she's the only one who has “really taken the bull by the horns and run with it”—her siblings couldn't be more thrilled of what she's accomplished: “They are over the moon. I have never felt so loved and supported. It's just amazing how proud they are of me.”
She performed at a rally for President Donald Trump.
In her introductory video from the beginning of the Miss USA broadcast, Branch talked about her passion for criminal justice reform and noted that she’d attended a roundtable on the issue with Trump at the White House. She also performed the national anthem at a Trump rally in Southaven, Mississippi, in October 2018, although she appears to have deleted her Instagram post touting the event. Per The Daily Beast, her caption had read: “Incredible honor to sing the national anthem tonight in Southaven for the President Trump rally,” complete with a flag emoji and #potus. (Branch recently told People that her performance at the rally was scheduled for her while under contractual obligation with the Miss Mississippi Corporation. She did not elaborate on her own political beliefs.)
Branch plans to continue her efforts to keep the formerly incarcerated from returning to jail and create policies that allow them to successfully get back on their feet. When it comes to whether working with the Biden administration is on the table, she shares with Glamour: “I'm happy to be at any table where decisions are being made regarding criminal justice and prison reform. I’d be happy to work with anyone and am happy to help where I can make a positive change.”
She’s an advocate for the children of incarcerated parents.
When Branch was 10, her father was arrested on charges of armed robbery and kidnapping. He would go on to serve 12 years in prison. Drawing from her personal experiences, including the financial and emotional struggles her mother took on as a single parent, Branch was compelled to launch an initiative for other children with parents behind bars: Finding Your Way: Empowering Children of Incarcerated Parents.
“I originally started this as a way for children to have some sort of guidance,” she says. “So often, people will tell you to reach for the stars and chase after your dreams, but they don't understand the hurt and confusion you feel from the hardships you've had to live through.”
It was her work on the issue that led to her to that roundtable discussion at the White House on how to “reintegrate inmates back into society.”
She’s a defender of gun rights but believes in safety training.
During the final speaking round of the Miss USA competition, Branch and four other finalists had to make a statement on a randomly selected topic. She drew the card on gun laws. “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,” Branch 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’re allowed to purchase a gun and before receiving a permit.”
But while she is in favor of certain protective measures, she was clear about her defense of the Second Amendment: “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 owns her own beauty brand.
The newly crowned Miss USA is the founder of Branch Beauty, a line of “cruelty-free products to enhance the natural beauty you already have,” launched in the summer of 2019. Affordably priced, it features makeup must-haves, including neutral eye shadows along with liquid liners and lipstick in a range of pinks and nudes. With the recent launch of its bright eye serum, Branch Beauty is looking to expand into skin care next.
Branch says she long knew she wanted to be an entrepreneur and her passion for makeup seemed like the perfect place to start: “I’ve always loved makeup, and I had started a YouTube channel, doing some tutorials. So I thought, What better way than to start a makeup line, something that I truly love doing?”
She’s a talented singer.
Branch has used Instagram to share music covers. “Music is so moving and it touches people's hearts and is really inspiring,” she says. Singing since the age of four, she handles the vocals while her partner, Briley Morgan, plays his guitar. The duo have performed covers of Billie Eilish, Noah Cyrus, and Diplo.
Originally Appeared on Glamour
