Alexis Smith, who called out her abuser onstage at the Miss Kansas competition in June, tells PEOPLE she hopes to use her new platform to advocate for domestic violence victims and promote healthy relationships.
Alexis Smith tells PEOPLE she “surprised” herself with what she did onstage: “I think power just came over me and I said what I needed to say”Abigail Adams is a Human Interest Writer and Reporter for PEOPLE. She has been working in journalism for seven years.June 8, the final day of the Miss Kansas pageant, was “not a not a normal day” for Alexis Smith. Not only was the Butler Country representative competing for the crown, but her abuser happened to be in the audience as well.
It is a cycle Smith is familiar with. She tells PEOPLE “every single important woman” in her life has been victimized by domestic violence, which has driven her passion to find solutions. One thing she never anticipated was running into her abuser mid-competition. So when she locked eyes with him during an intermission number, she almost instantly became emotional.Fortunately, she says, another delegate who is familiar with Smith’s story was nearby. Smith asked her to go down the stairs with her so she wouldn’t be alone, “and that's exactly what she did.”
As a Miss Kansas delegate, Smith developed a community service initiative called “Respect Reclaimed: Advocating For Healthy Relationships,” which aims to eliminate unhealthy and abusive relationships. Miss America Has Never Been an Active-Duty Air Force Officer — Until Now: 'I Wasn't Expecting to Win'
“It's really important to remember that we need to keep the power and the choices in the hands of … those survivors and victims,” she tells PEOPLE.
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