Miss Kansas Alexis Smith, domestic abuse survivor, shares story behind viral video
The newly crowned Miss Kansas has gone viral for calling out her abuser on the pageant stage.
Alexis Smith took a moment during the interview portion of the ceremony to discuss her experience as a domestic violence survivor, telling the audience: "My vision as the next Miss Kansas is to eliminate unhealthy and abusive relationships. Matter of fact, some of you out in this audience saw me very emotional because my abuser is here today. But that's not going to stop me from being on this Miss Kansas stage and from representing as the next Miss Kansas."
She continued: "I, and my community, deserve healthy relationships, we deserve a domestic (violence) free life."
Smith was crowned on June 8, according to KWCH in Wichita, Kansas, and The Associated Press. Smith won out over 25 other contestants, the TV station reported.
The video has been viewed over 65,000 times on X alone.
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Now Smith, a cardiothoracic ICU nurse, is sharing her story.
"My family, every single woman in my family, was impacted by domestic violence," she told local station KSNW, an NBC affiliate in Witchita, Kansas. "At the age of 14, I got in my first relationship, but it was also an abusive relationship that I was in until about 2018, 2019. It's something that I'm still experiencing and dealing with today."
The beauty queen wants to use her platform, "Respect Reclaimed: Advocating for Healthy Relationships," to make an impact on curbing domestic abuse.
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"I took advantage of the Miss Kansas Organization, which truly focuses on empowering women," she said. "And me, being a woman who needed that empowerment all my life, being a bystander to domestic violence, a victim, a survivor, and now an advocate as well as a young woman who is educationally driven, I have the opportunity not only to share my story on such a large scale but also go back to school."
Smith is expected to compete in the next Miss America pageant, set for January 2025.