Juanita Bynum ESSENCE Interview Excerpts
November 17, 2007 – 12:00 pmPosted Under: magazines
Juanita Bynum in a 2 parter in ESSENCE Magazine. For me ESSENCE started falling off and I canceled my subscription or didn’t pay it, one or the other. But now here’s the Prophetess in the December and January issue, probably to sell copies but here it is anyway, or a portion of it rather. You have to buy a copy (on newstands now) to read the interview in its entirety.
On Breaking Her Silence:
“All of what I’m going through right now has to do with the loss of my marriage, the love of my husband, and the jeopardizing of my integrity at the hands of my husband. I don’t want anyone to think that my silence meant consent. My silence was meant to wait for the cool of the day. This is not about anger or retaliation but integrity and truth on behalf of my name.”
On Why She Stayed in the Marriage:
“I don’t want anybody to think I was stupid for staying; I stayed because of who I was—I had to be careful. My thoughts were, I can’t get a divorce. What would people say? How would they view me? I just felt like I needed to pray more. And I did, and it did get better. We went three years without him getting physical, but then the verbal rage would still be there.”
On What She Says Happened With their Million Dollar Home:
“I came back from a trip and was getting ready to tape for television when he walked in and said he had already moved us out and all of our furniture was in the church warehouse. I cried for two days. My sisters said, ‘Nita, you’ll get another house,’ and I said, “It’s not about the house.” This was the place where I had the presence of God. That’s the one thing I had. And I felt like that’s what [my husband] took.”
On What She Says Happened on August 21:
“He just grabbed me, and he grabbed me around my throat and threw me to the ground. I said, “Oh, my God, my head!” because the whole sky was spinning. And when I turned around, that’s when I got the first kick. I screamed out, “Please don’t kill me!” That’s when the bellman grabbed him, and they were going at it. I don’t know what was happening, but the bellman was going into his pocket, and I grabbed his arm and got between them and said, “Please don’t hurt my husband,” and that’s when the bellman let him go. And I took maybe two or three steps over and I collapsed on the ground.”
On Previous Incidents of Alleged Abuse:
“He pulled off on the side of the road to a gas station, and there were a lot of people out there, and he pulled the van up and told me to get out. He went in the back of the van and threw my Louis Vuitton luggage out in front of the people. I was sitting in the car and looked back to see what he was doing. When he started throwing my luggage out, I said, “Wait!” He was snatching the other door open to get the rest of my luggage out and the door knocked me to the ground. And he left me there. He had my purse, my phone, my money. I had nothing.”
On Her Marriage:
“People will say, ‘If you love your husband and you forgive him, why can’t you just reconcile and go to counseling?’ And I wish with all my heart that it could be as simple as that. I have faith that God is a miracle worker, because I’ve seen him work miracles. But I’m not sure, not 150 percent sure that the person I saw in the parking lot that night won’t ever show up again.”
On Her New Mission:
“When people can see where you came from and see what you are today and know looking at where you came from and know that there is no real legal reason why you should even be left standing and you’re still standing, that is when God gets the glory. That’s when people say there must be a God somewhere. That’s where my stand is right now.”
Read part one of the interview with Juanita Bynum in the December issue of ESSENCE.
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8 Responses to “Juanita Bynum ESSENCE Interview Excerpts”
It’s amazing now how you get her side of it and it’s very different from his. That’s why my comments were “loose” until I heard it all.
By Miss Princess Dominique on Nov 17, 2007
God will see Prophetess Bynum through.
None that trust Him will ever be ashamed. She is a woman of success. I BIND every lie that came out against her life today. There is a serpent protruding from Weeks’ mouth that will bring him his own destruction. We pray that he will awaken but if not God is also a consuming FIRE. Do not let Satan win in this battle. Juanita will win! Good always overcome evil
By Hyo on Nov 24, 2007
You know, I read that article and honestly? Some of what she says leaves me even more perplexed, like there were gaps missing in her logic or how she laid things out or maybe it was printing in a disjointed context. I didn’t come away with a better feel for her situation (though I don’t condone what happened to her) & I have to ask myself if it’s because I truly DON’T understand (and do I need to?) or am I just not open to hear it at the moment. At any rate, I pray her continued healing.
By MsJayy on Dec 1, 2007
I get what you’re saying. It’s a sordid tale. I’m done with it.
By Miss Princess Dominique on Dec 1, 2007
lol @ Dominique saying she’s done w/ it.
Makes your head hurt, doesn’t it? I feel you.
By don on Dec 9, 2007
You know the battle is never ours it is the Lord. We can not fix what has always been broken and remember this is a journey and on this journey there are some disappointments we never want to see. I am glad Juanita made her decision, because God do not like a pretender. It is best to be real. The word said there is a time for everything, it is a time to be silent and a time to speak. We can know the truth, but not the time for it to be known. Juanita and husband was an example of marriage toward teach me how to love you and many marriages was save because of them, however when you are a worker in the gospel the devil is mad. We are not perfect and spirits try us like anyone else. People we are soldiers in the army and these 2 people was on the frontline, now we are going to continue to fight and not take down. The war is not over, although this is out in the open we have to help them heal so they can continue to fight!!
By Concern on Dec 26, 2007
I’m sure most of us could really care less about this lying ass trick
Juanita you BITCH, lay your ugly ass on your ugly ass face face and seek the one who made you ..ya idiot..and learn to practice what you preach …Ive never been impressed at any thing you say or do
learn to keep your big mouth shut and grow the hell up ..you are approaching 50, for God sake..you’re a total disgrace to black women and women in general .
By kim B on Jan 4, 2008
I just don’t know why Essence would put such an ugly woman on the cover of they’re magazine.
By KEVIN -Chicago il on Jan 4, 2008