![\"miss](\"https:\/\/hollywoodlife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Screenshot-2024-07-22-at-11.40.59\u202fAM-e1721662945103.png?quality=100&w=384&h=216&crop=1\")
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The newly crowned Miss Kansas has\u00a0gone viral\u00a0for calling out her abuser on the pageant stage.<\/p>\n
Alexis Smith<\/strong>, of Butler County, was officially crowned Miss Kansas on June 8, beating out 25 other contestants for the title\u00a0according to\u00a0KWCH<\/a>\u00a0in Wichita, Kansas, and\u00a0The Associated Press<\/a>.<\/p>\n During the\u00a0interview portion<\/a>\u00a0of the contest, which Smith shared on social media, she firmly stated her goal as Miss Kansas would be to \u201celiminate unhealthy and abusive relationships.\u201d<\/p>\n She then made a stunning declaration: \u201cSome of you out in this audience saw me very emotional, because my abuser is here today.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut that\u2019s not going to stop me from being on this Miss Kansas stage and representing as the next Miss Kansas,\u201d she continued. \u201cI and my community deserve healthy relationships. We deserve a domestic [violence]-free life.\u201d<\/p>\n Respect Reclaimed! <\/p>\n Our time is now for healthy relationships.#MissAmerica<\/a> #ThereSheIs<\/a> #Pageants<\/a> #RespectReclaimed<\/a> #MissKansas<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/npejBb6CCs<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Alexis Smith, Miss Kansas (@MissAmericaKS) July 16, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n In a\u00a0statement on Instagram<\/a> and Facebook<\/a>, the 25-year-old shared a clip of her remarks, writing further about how they connected to her platform of \u201cRespect Reclaimed.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOn the night of Miss Kansas, my journey took an unexpected turn when someone I have been healing from tried to disrupt my peace,\u201d she\u00a0wrote. \u201cInstead of falling into silence, I chose to live out my vision for a better world. I took back my power\u2014not just for myself, but for my dreams and everyone watching and listening.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThis isn\u2019t about shunning others,\u201d she added. \u201cIt\u2019s about turning our pain into purposes and channeling it in a way that unifies and uplifts.\u201d<\/p>\n On July 16, a clip of the on-stage moment was shared on Smith\u2019s official X<\/a> account, which then went viral. The video has been viewed over 67,000 times on X alone.<\/p>\n Now, Smith, a cardiothoracic ICU nurse, is sharing more of her story.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \u201cMy family, every single woman in my family, was impacted by domestic violence,\u201d she\u00a0told\u00a0KSN<\/a>. \u201cAt 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\u2019s something that I\u2019m still experiencing and dealing with today.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI took advantage of the Miss Kansas Organization, which truly focuses on empowering women,\u201d she added. \u201cAnd 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.\u201d<\/p>\n Smith has not named the individual she identified as her abuser.<\/p>\n If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to\u00a0thehotline.org<\/a>. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24\/7 in more than 170 languages.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n