Ellie Breaux was understandably overjoyed when she won the Miss Texas 2023 crown. “I still can’t believe this is real life,” Ellie captioned her first post as Miss Texas. “I am constantly having to look at myself in the mirror to be sure I’m not dreaming. Being crowned Miss Texas 2023 was such a surreal moment, I can’t even begin to describe it.”

Ellie Breaux is African American; her father is a police officer

Ellie Breaux was born to a black father and a white mother in Houston, Texas. She grew up alongside two younger siblings: Gabe, a football player, and Edyn, a varsity basketball player. 

The pageant queen said she would use her platform to promote her ‘Cops in the Community’ initiative, which seeks to foster relations between police officers and the community. “My goal is for our children to perceive police officers as heroes rather than adversaries,” she said, per WFAA

Ellie grew up surrounded by police officers – her father, uncle, and cousin are members of law enforcement. “I come from a family of law enforcement, and there’s such a miscommunication between police officers and their communities and I’m really trying to bridge that gap so we can unify Texas and ultimately unify America,” she stated

Ellie wrote on Instagram on 5th October 2022 that she was initially hesitant about launching a pro-law enforcement initiative at the height of the anti-police movement in 2020. Nevertheless, having grown up among police officers and seen their positive impact on the community, she rolled out the initiative. Ellie wrote:

“I was hesitant of the backlash I would receive. But I’m a Houston police officer’s daughter, niece, and cousin and I could not endure to witness the growing gap between our police enforcement and our neighborhoods any longer. I have a unique opportunity to be the bridge that our law enforcement and communities need to heal.”