Juanita Bynum has an uncanny way of putting things into perspective.And because of that, the revered televangelist has built an ever-expanding loyal following through her various religious endeavors.
When the Chicago native and former hair dresser, flight attendant, welfare recipient and drug offender was allegedly attacked by her estranged husband Bishop Thomas Weeks, III on Aug. 21 during a near fatal physical altercation in an Atlanta hotel's parking lot, Bynum's visibility increased by the ten-fold.
Mainstream media outlets helped galvanize an insatiable public interests in the woman who is officially known as Prophetess Juanita Bynum.
She, in turn, became the self-proclaimed "new face of domestic abuse" as the legal travails of her and her husband entered the public zeitgeist. Her savvy PR campaign – with stops on 'The Tom Joyner Morning Show,' 'Good Morning America,' 'Star Jones Show' and a series of press conferences – galvanized her mainstream celebrity.
Now comes an "exclusive" two-part interview with Essence magazine, where Bynum breaks her silence.
Excerpts are below:
On the Attack:
"And then 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!..."
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 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."
Part one of the interview is slated to run in the December issue, followed by Part two in January.
Later this month,'Juanita Bynum: Unplugged' will be released in via Flow Records. The DVD project boasts candid interviews, performances from her latest album 'A Piece of My Passion,' and her trademark dynamic ministering.
EXTRA: Comedienne Sheryl Underwood offers her take on the Bynum controversy.
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