The first Black woman to be crowned Miss Mississippi USA is now the reigning Miss USA.
Asya Branch, a student at the University of Mississippi and Booneville native, was crowned Miss USA on Monday, after the coronavirus pandemic delayed the event by several months.
She'll go on to represent the US in the Miss Universe pageant.Branch shared her historic win with Miss Teen USA 2020 Ki'ilani Arruda, only the second Hawaiian woman to win the teen pageant.
Asya Branch, the first Black woman to be crowned Miss Mississippi USA, is now the reigning Miss USA. https://t.co/337Lj7cIVG
— CNN (@CNN) November 10, 2020
From the stage at Graceland Exhibition Center in Memphis, Tennessee, Branch fielded questions about how to mend the polarized country (restore trust in institutions like the media and government, she said) and gun laws (her family owns guns, she said, but more people should learn how to use them safely before they get their permits).
In an interview with Miss Mississippi USA, Branch revealed her father was incarcerated for 10 years.
His experience inspired her to advocate for criminal justice reform, and in 2018 she met with President Donald Trump and other officials to discuss measures to help reintegrate former prisoners into society upon their release.

Asya Branch was in disbelief when she was crowned Miss USA 2020, asking herself afterward, "What just happened?"
"I learned a lot about myself, but at the same time, while sharing my story and going through so much but not letting it stop me, I've been able to heal while also helping others find their way," she said in the September interview.
The pageant was originally scheduled for spring 2020 but, like many other large-scale events around that time, was canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Picking up production this fall, the Miss Universe Organization that runs Miss USA followed some coronavirus protocols: Contestants wore bejeweled masks when they were offstage and when they visited landmarks like the National Civil Rights Museum, and audience members at Graceland were told to wear masks indoors and submit to temperature checks, according to the facility.
Graceland didn't mention social distancing within the facility in its Covid-19 protocols.On hand for Branch's crowning was Cheslie Kryst, Miss USA 2019.
Kryst's reign was the the first time that winners of the top beauty pageants -- Miss USA, Miss Teen USA, Miss America and Miss World -- were all Black women.
Latest Stories
-
Today’s Front pages: Friday, April 4, 2025
6 minutes -
Eleven arrested for illegal mining in Akyem Fichser, tree plantations affected
47 minutes -
NPP’s military withdrawal from galamsey fight is a cardinal sin against humanity – Omane Boamah
52 minutes -
Galamsey: EPA boss condemns misrepresentation of her views on political involvement
53 minutes -
Government plans to scrap COVID-19 levy in budget – Ablakwa
57 minutes -
Government mulls excavator import restrictions in crackdown on galamsey – Lands Minister
58 minutes -
GRIDCo restores power after national system disturbance
1 hour -
State Institutions to prioritise local procurement under new government directive – Ato Forson
2 hours -
Easter Beats in France: Keche, Arkay-S, Adani Best, others to light up Paris’s New Morning on April 19
2 hours -
Suspicious flights: Ntim Fordjour repent; your lies won’t stand – Defence Minister
2 hours -
Naomi Wolali Kwetey appointed Ag MD of CBG
3 hours -
‘Watching football hurts’ – Williams seeking return
4 hours -
Injured Arsenal defender Gabriel out for season
5 hours -
Trump tariffs provoke world condemnation and fears of a $2,300 iPhone
5 hours -
Ex-Shell boss tasked with cleaning up Nigeria’s oil sector
5 hours