MOUTH OF THE SOUTH
SMALL
TALK
MISS GA
DEANNA JOHNSON
SOUTHERN
BEAUTY
CARES
➧ T he passion of Miss Georgia
shows she’s more than a pretty face.
INTERVIEW: KELSEY TUCKER /
PHOTO: BLAKE CROSBY
➨ 2 1 - Y E A R - O L D S I N G E R , T I T L E -
HOLDER AND ANTI- SEX TRAFFICK-
I N G A C T I V I S T DeAnna Johnson has had
quite the exciting and full year. From auditioning and
competing on NBC’s hit-show The Voice to winning the
title of Miss Georgia USA 2017, Johnson is using her
newfound following to fight modern slavery and help
victims around the nation, specifically in her home state.
Johnson sat down with me to discuss her platform and
means of outreach.
KELSEY TUCKER: Congratulations on winning Miss Geor-
gia! When did you start doing pageants?
DEANNA JOHNSON: “Thank you! This is actually my first
year of doing pageants. Of course I had always dreamed of
going to Miss USA, so early last year I entered a few and
prayed that I would make it to Miss Georgia, never fully
expecting to win!”
KT: That must have been a great feeling. I know you are very
passionate about your platform, fighting sex trafficking.
What piqued that interest? When did you begin working with
Georgia Cares?
DJ: “Every single Christmas, my dad has taken me to a bat-
PHOTOGRAPHED AT HOTEL INDIGO
Georgia Cares is an independent, non-
profit organization in pursuit of helping
victims of sex trafficking around the state
of Georgia. Interested in getting involved
in the fight against sex trafficking? Visit gacares.org/get-involved.
Georgia Cares also provides a 24-hour hot line at 1-844-8GA-DMST.
GEORGIA
ALSO CARES
26
SOUTH
August | September 2017
tered women’s shelter. The director of the shelter actually
got me in contact with a director of a childhood sex traffick-
ing shelter in Atlanta. I was shocked—I suppose the concept
of sex trafficking in the United States was foreign to me. It
baffled me that all around me, in a state I so proudly repre-
sented, people were being sold and abused. I knew I needed
to help put a stop to it. What I appreciate about Georgia
Cares is that their main goal is to end the manipulation at an
early stage. I have been with them for a year now and I feel
so good every day knowing I am helping someone in need.”
KT: It’s great to hear how devoted you are to the issue! How
are you using social media to reach more people?
DJ: “I really just want to bring awareness and education. We
don’t really think about this as a reality in our states, so my goal
is to get people to want to fight it. At Georgia Cares, we do a lot
of events to raise awareness, so I post about those events on
Instagram (@DeannaJohnson23) and Snapchat (@Deanna-
Johnson23) all the time. I think just talking about the issue is
the most important thing to start with.” ■