Saved & Fly

Breyuna Williams

JG. Miss Black DC. How are you?

Breyuna: Good! How are you?

JG. I’m awesome…awesome! It was really great meeting you last weekend.

Breyuna: It was a pleasure meeting you too.

JG. You good to get started?

Breyuna: Oh yeah, I'm ready.

JG. Okay. I looked on the MissBlackDC.org website and I read that you experienced some low self-esteem issues. I know that beauty is in the eye of the beholder and all; but I have always been curious...What makes pretty girls have low self-esteem?

Breyuna: {Laughter} I would say society is one key reason...well, and media. When I was growing up, I didn't think I was pretty. I wore big glasses. I have big lips and those things definitely weren't in when I was younger. Guys would pick on me, um...even though my parents and friends would tell me I was pretty, something on the inside just didn't click for me to realize that I was beautiful.

JG. A lot of that goes into the ever so popular issue of feeling the need to be validated.

Breyuna: Yeah, exactly. I didn't necessarily want to hear it from my family members at that time. I was good in school; an overachiever really, but I just didn't feel good enough about myself on the inside.

JG. Okay. I see. Do you have a favorite celebrity?

Breyuna: I can't say I have a favorite celebrity. I admire Queen Latifah, Kerry Washington, Mary J. Blige and a host of others who take on the responsibility of being a role model. They don't stop at just "entertaining" us but they are activists, community leaders and interested in doing their part to make sure their fans are enriched.

JG. On your website, I actually read that you were a victim of domestic violence.

Breyuna: Yes, I was.

JG. Does that mean you personally were abused or that you were a first-hand witness to abuse?

Breyuna: I had a boyfriend who I really, really cared about a lot. He was like the it guy for me. We as young ladies tend to have that one guy that we really dig on...that we let push our boundaries and do anything not to lose because we like him so much. Well, that was the relationship that I had when the domestic violence situation happened. He was very controlling. It started off with him calling me out of my name and arguing and disappearing for a couple weeks. Then that turned into more arguing...we would argue all the time. Further along into it, the arguments got more and more physical, with him choking me and things like that.

JG. That's pretty despicable!

Breyuna: Yeah. I got to the point where I would physically fight him back. It was bad. Every Friday like clock-work, we would fight. One time, he put a blanket over my head, pressed down, and said, "Die B die!" {He actually used the B-word profanity}. What's even crazier is that I still wanted to be with him.

JG. Wow! So, how did you get out?

Breyuna: God! He actually took the situation from me. I prayed and asked for the strength to let my boyfriend go, but I still was holding on. God just took full control and the very next day, he left said that he didn't want to be with me anymore and just like that, he was out of my life.

JG. That's something. Be careful what you ask for, right?

Breyuna: Right! And to be honest, I actually tried to hold onto him; even after praying to God to let him go. I was hurt, but God made it clear to me that was not who He had for me and so, I accepted His will.

JG. I know that it's not comfortable to have someone all up in your business like this, but it's important because your candor is real-life and makes you a blessing to others.

Breyuna: Oh yeah.

JG. But uh...do you currently have a boyfriend?

Breyuna: I ...{laughter} Yes, I do currently have a boyfriend.

JG. : So, how do you intertwine your Christian beliefs into your relationship, in terms of sexual temptation?

Breyuna: Even though I'm not a virgin, I do believe that God transforms and recreates. I pray A LOT and with God all things are possible. It was hard at first, but with much prayer, I learned how to exercise my boundaries. I am committed to God to remain celibate until I get married. I always tell young people that virginity is something you can never get back and no matter what that boy or girl is telling them'"I love you so much" or whatever, that it's not worth it. If people raise their standards and demand more, they will get more for themselves in general.

JG. Cool. So, how long have you been born again?

Breyuna: Well, I grew up in the church. I got baptized when I was four years old because {sigh}I wanted to join the choir {giggle}. I was on again, off again because I never really felt like I could measure up to what it meant to truly be a Christian.

JG. I know what you mean. Some people make you feel like you'll never make it into heaven anyway.

Breyuna: Exactly. But directly following my abusive relationship, I felt like I was kind of going crazy and so, I got re-baptized in June 2006. I also rededicated my life to Christ and have been totally sold out ever since.

JG. How old are you?

Breyuna: I'm twenty-seven.

JG. And you're an attorney, correct?

Breyuna: Yes.

JG. I always get really inspired and empowered by Black women who are so ambitious to command themselves to take on something as challenging as a career in law. My cousin is your age and she just graduated from CUNY Law School this past May and I'm so proud of her.

Breyuna: I know that school in New York right?

JG. Right.

Breyuna: Yeah, that's great! I graduated in the top 25 percent of my class at Howard University Law School.

JG. I absolutely love it! Did you always know that's what you wanted to be doing?

Breyuna: When I was young, I had so many things I wanted to be. I was on the debate team in high school, among other things. It was definitely something I wanted to pursue.

JG. There are a lot of people out here who don't respect beauty pageants, for a host of reasons. I have found that pageants have multiple sides...it's not just being about pretty girls in bikinis. What do you think about people who are critical of pageants?

Breyuna: I think that the best approach is to just show people that there is more to it than what they think. You can't just be a pretty face with nothing in your head. You have to be up to date with current events. You have to be well-rounded, and you must be a good speaker. My platform is positive self-esteem and one of my sub-platforms is the HIV/AIDS crisis. How can anyone have anything negative to say about an organization that represents women who bring attention to these types of issues?

JG. Very true.

Breyuna: The Miss Black USA organization in particular is an amazing organization that should be celebrated.

JG. So what's next for you?

Breyuna: Well, currently I'm the reigning Miss Black DC, so in June 2009, I will compete to become Miss Black USA.

JG. That sounds exciting!

Breyuna: It is! The pageant is going to be in Las Vegas this year. It's a really big deal. They had it in West Africa two years ago.

JG. What?

Breyuna: I know...I know; that's great right?

JG. Uh...yeah. {Laughter}

Breyuna: But um, the grand prize is a $20,000 scholarship, along with other prizes as well.

JG. So, what talent will you display?

Breyuna: I'm going to do a monologue; something by Maya Angelou I think.

JG. Do you have the freedom to unabashedly proclaim your faith within the Miss Black USA setting?

Breyuna: Oh yeah. Hey allow us to be who we are. I'm a Christian. I can't and won't turn that off.

JG. There are so many different issues that are plaguing our society and our world. How did you end up choosing self-esteem with a concentration on HIV as your focus?

Breyuna: Well, you're right. There are so many issues that you have to start somewhere. The premise of how I feel about my platform is this: Until you really appreciate who you are, you will allow yourself to be treated any kind of way and in turn, you won't love yourself enough to be abstinent or even to make him wear a condom, which is a big reason why one in twenty people in D.C. is infected with the virus. Awareness is also key. If more people are informed about HIV and how it attacks the body, anybody who has self love is going to do whatever it takes to stay negative. My approach to my platform is to help people to realize that God has put them here for a purpose. Everyone has a purpose, but we have to love ourselves enough to care and look a little deeper to find out what that purpose is.

JG. I see that you have a blog on the Miss DC site. Is that something that you started because of the win?

Breyuna: I started the blog for people to be able to take this journey with me, share my experiences, and see what's going on with me. But, I have always been a big journaler in general. I did a lot of writing in my journal when I was going through the domestic violence situation as well. I encourage it because it's amazing to look back and see how far God has brought you. Also, just to write down goals...to be able to look back on them a year or so later and say that you accomplished them or need to keep working towards them. Journaling can really be a blessing.

JG. So, what's going on with you in between now and the pageant in 2009?

Breyuna: I just want God to use me however He sees fit. I don't want to be rigid, but fluid in this moment. I'm doing quite a bit of appearances. I want to continue giving back and make a positive impact on my community by spreading my platform every chance I get. Oh yeah, on October 25th in northeast Washington, D.C. I'm helping to put together a community health fair to continue to raise awareness about Domestic Violence, HIV/AIDS, Breast Cancer, Diabetes, and more things that are heavily affecting the African-American community.

JG. If people want more information about this event, where can they hit you up?

Breyuna: My e-mail address is breyuna@missblackdc.org

JG. Well, sky is the limit for you young lady. Thanks for your time and thanks for being a Jesus Groupie.

Breyuna: Thanks for interviewing me. Have a good evening.