Coming Soon
RISING ABOVE THE SCARS is the true account of Johnnetta McSwain’s triumphant life story, and is based on The Emmy® Award-winning documentary, The Road Beyond Abuse. Born to an alcoholic mother and an absent father, the odds were unceremoniously stacked against her even as she drew her first breath. By the innocent age of five, she was viciously raped and incessantly battered by her three uncles while in the custody of her grandparents.
The all too real horror of Johnnetta’s formative years was not just her reality. Her slightly older sister and male cousin were also made to bear ruthless physical, sexual, and psychological abuse. As young, vulnerable children, they were bound, beaten, choked, threatened and forced to perform horrific sex acts by their uncles. At the tender age of eight, when most little girls can enjoy carefree security within the sanctuary of their homes, Johnnetta had contracted syphilis in hers.
The constant ravaging of Johnnetta’s body and mind served as a daily reminder that she was not wanted and not loved. Never allowed the liberty to make the missteps that often characterize adolescence, she was forced to sit outside stripped bare in the cold elements of the winter night. This was Johnnetta’s punishment for wetting the bed and resulted in a severe case of pneumonia. Read more »