The newly crowned Miss Kansas called out her attacker who appeared in the audience when she was chosen to represent the Sunflower State in next year’s Miss America pageant.
Alexis Smith, 25, pledged to “eliminate unhealthy and abusive relationships” as the new ambassador for the Miss Kansas pageant after winning the competition at Pratt Community College on June 8.
“My vision as the next Miss Kansas is to eliminate unhealthy and abusive relationships,” Smith said on stage, which was shared on her X account. New York Post Reports.
“Some of you in the audience may have seen how emotional I am that my attacker is here today.
“But that won’t stop me from being on the Miss Kansas pageant stage and representing the next Miss Kansas because I and my community deserve healthy relationships.”
The crowd erupted in applause and cheers at the pageant winner’s courage in publicly exposing her attacker.
Smith, a full-time nurse in the cardiothoracic intensive care unit, shed more light on her talk after winning the title.
“On the night of Miss Kansas, my journey took an unexpected turn when someone I was recovering from tried to disturb my peace,” Smith later wrote in a Facebook post.
“Instead of falling into silence, I chose to live my vision for a better world. I took back power—not just for myself, but for my dreams and for everyone who watches and listens.”
She revealed that the call was not intended to “avoid others” but rather to set an example for others to turn “pain into purpose and direct it in a way that unites and uplifts.”
Smith’s bravery has also been praised by hundreds of people on social media.
“Thank you so much for telling the truth!!!! You are inspiring and I hope my daughter gets to meet you and learn how to stand up to pressure like you do,” one Facebook user commented.
“I can’t love this anymore. You are an inspiration Ms. Alexis Smith, and thank you for standing strong and true to yourself,” another user wrote.
Smith also received recognition from the Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence, which said her “courage and advocacy are truly inspiring.”
The Wichita native, who was representing Butler County in the pageant, later revealed that “every woman” in her family “has been affected by domestic violence.”
“At 14, I got into my first relationship, but it was also an abusive relationship that I was in until about 2018 or 2019,” Smith told KSNW. “It’s something that I still struggle with and deal with to this day.”
The Kansas beauty queen said she used the platform, which is “really focused on empowering women,” to share her struggles and be an “advocate” for others.
“And I, as a woman who has needed this empowerment my entire life, who has been a bystander to domestic violence, a victim, a survivor, and now an advocate for women’s rights, as well as a young woman driven by education, have had the opportunity not only to share my story widely but also to go back to school.”
Smith beat out 26 other contestants to earn a spot in next year’s Miss America pageant, which is scheduled to take place in January.
Her platform is called “Restoring Respect: Advocating for a Healthy Relationship,” according to KSNW.
This article originally appeared in the New York Post and is republished with permission.
