Former Miss America shares personal story of abuse at Mason awards

On a day that Fresno’s domestic violence shelter honored local heroes for their work on the issue, former Miss America Kira Kazantsev told a Fresno audience that she was abused by her college boyfriend and it always stays with you.

Kazantsev, the 2015 Miss America, was the keynote speaker Friday at the Marjaree Mason Center’s 33rd annual Top Ten Professional Women and Leading Business Awards. She tearfully told of the abuse she suffered in college and the courage and support it took to break the cycle of violence. Finally, she turned her life around, she said, and used her experience to help domestic violence victims.

Kazantsev used her year as Miss America as a platform in her effort to raise awareness of the issue, ultimately creating the #PutTheNailInIt campaign that encourages people to paint the fingernail on their left ring finger purple as a symbol of the battle against domestic violence.

She toured the Marjaree Mason Center prior to her talk and praised the work that is done locally to end domestic violence. She thanked the women honored at Friday’s luncheon for being on the front line in fighting domestic violence.

This story was originally published October 14, 2016 at 3:59 PM with the headline "Former Miss America shares personal story of abuse at Mason awards."