Amie Wright What Have You Been Robbed of? BY EMMA JEANIE WALKER-SUAREZ Amie Wright is a congenial, soft-spoken, woman whose past is a cautionary tale of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Coupled with being involved with the wrong people, it can make for tragically traumatic experiences that cannot be forgotten. Brought up in Columbus Ohio, by her mother and her God-fearing grandmother, Amie attended church regularly during her youth. Like many young people, as she entered her teenage years, her interests changed from church to the glitter and glamour of fast money that she saw being made by those living the “street life.” By age 15, she began to smoke marijuana. Amie became an STNA (State Tested Nursing Assistant), though it is not the most lucrative career. She also began to date young men who chose the route of making fast and illicit money. After Amie got pregnant at 22, her child’s father was incarcerated. She then became involved with another young man who made a living selling marijuana. Since she had stopped working during her pregnancy and was trying to survive on welfare, she soon allowed him to move in with her. They were engaged to be married the following November, and he was there to witness the birth of her son, Alamar John Will. Shortly after Alamar was born, her fiancé heard word that someone planned to rob him. He made plans for Amie and Alamar to stay at Amie’s mother’s house, though her mother disapproved of his lifestyle until things blew over. Amie’s mom would tell her he wasn’t the type of guy she needed to date: ‘Don’t let him do that at your house.” Amie returned to her Short North apartment on a Tuesday. Two days later — on May 29, 2003 — the would-be robber broke into Amie’s home shot and killed her fiancé. Amie was also shot while she held her baby, Alamar in her arms, as the shooter intended to leave no witnesses. The bullet went through Amie’s hand and 33-day-old Alamar, then into Amie. Amie survived to identify the murderer, but her son, Alamar did not. After a tragic loss and her own near death, Amie became depressed, even despondent. She was angry with God for allowing something so horrific to happen to an innocent baby and her fiancé. At one point, she did not care if she lived or died. She blamed herself for the loss of her only child. She began to smoke marijuana herself, using it to get up in the morning and go to bed at night. She has since been in therapy and has come to realize that she was not to blame for the decisions of the perpetrator. Today, Amie has decided to live and tell her life story so that her son’s short life will not have been in vain. Through Alamar’s life and death, Amie has found the strength to become a motivational speaker, primarily to women and young people. She has also returned to the church, now attending Bethany Baptist Church under Dr. Jonathan Bradford Sr. Amie wants people, mainly young people, to realize that street life can cost you much more than money can buy. Using her life as ENVISIONPROVENSUCCESS.COM | 9
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