Shniese Horton Overcoming the Odds BY GERRI COLLIER The first 23 years of Shniese Horton’s life was a cataclysmic cycle of sexual abuse, life traumas, failed relationships, isolation, alcohol and drug addiction. Shniese grew up in the allblack Columbus neighborhood of Bolivar Arms. Coming from a large family, she falls fourth in the pecking order of ten children. Her father had six siblings and completed high school. Shniese’s mother grew up with twelve siblings. She only completed the eighth grade and had three children by the time that she married Shniese’s father. Shniese recalls her parents working multiple jobs and long shifts in order to support the family of fifteen. Often, she and her siblings were ignored. Her father passed in 2000; she recalls that her father and his family were very protective of her and showered her with unconditional love and protection. However, she never felt that her mother loved her; never once during her childhood did her mother say, “I love you.” Shniese suffered from a severe stuttering disorder that made it very difficult for her to communicate with others. She was embarrassed by it and isolated herself from others, both at home and school. At 8 years old, she became the victim of ongoing emotional and sexual abuse. “I stuttered so badly. I was unable to tell anyone what was happening to me,” she says. The abuse continued until age 13. God entered her life when her paternal uncle took her to church and introduced her to Christ. She became filled with the Holy Ghost and began speaking in tongues. Going to church gave her life; it inspired her. She could forget about the abuse; she could forget about feeling unloved. She felt good in the church and loved the worship experience. She was confident enough to join the community recreation center track team and begin interacting with other boys and girls. When she was 16, her life detoured. She developed a relationship with one of the boys she had met and become pregnant. Curiously, she never knew that she was pregnant, nor did anyone else around her. She first discovered her condition when she went into labor and was taken to the hospital where she delivered the baby. For a brief time after giving birth, Shniese and her baby stayed with her aunt. Later, she moved in with her sister, but that living arrangement did not work out, and she found herself homeless. Eventually, she was able to move in with a neighbor. Her life began to look up, and she met a man whom she believed to be a good person. After investing herself in the relationship and bearing two of his children, she found out that he was married. So at 20 years old, Shniese found herself with three young children. Shniese got a job and found a place to live, but she began engaging in harmful activities. She started going out to clubs and drinking a lot — every day and at work. On one occasion, she blacked out while driving. She hit a parked car; her car flipped and landed in Greelawn Cemetery. She was trapped in the car, but her passenger was able to go for help. ENVISIONPROVENSUCCESS.COM | 33
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