Now that my mother has passed on I can be honest about my crowning moment. I have lied to a lot of people…. Telling interviewers that I was so dramatically emotional because I worked so hard to be on that stage. But in reality all 52 contestants worked hard to be on that stage so who am I to cry for that reason? The truth is, I was emotional because my mom was in her home fighting for her life and there was nothing I could do to help her. I told myself that the least thing I could do for my mother was to make her proud by bringing the Miss USA crown home to our family. I cried because I was shocked that I accomplished that goal. I knew she was screaming with joy and probably felt the happiest she will ever feel during her lifetime. I felt blessed that God allowed me to give her that moment of happiness knowing she would not live much longer. I was so thankful and humble for that. I received a lot of slack for using the “Military Card” during on stage question and was constantly called names like Tar, Monkey, Skeleton and the N-word on social media…. but I didn’t care. All that mattered to me was my mother and quite frankly she is still all that matters to me ?? Long story short, you never know what someone is going through so maybe we should lead our lives with kindness, it will get you much further than HATE ❤️

A post shared by Miss USA 2016 (@deshaunabarber) on Aug 22, 2016 at 9:54am PDT