Jolinda Wade with son Dwayne Wade, NBA Hall of Famer
“I was a wreck,” she said candidly when reflecting on her early adulthood. “I did most of my adult life living through abuse, drugs, alcohol addiction and in and out of jail and prison.”
Having experienced firsthand what it feels like to be judged, dismissed or written off, she now encourages audiences to look beyond labels and assumptions, and see people as more than their lowest moments.
“I don’t judge people,” she said. “We never know who that person is. I’m going to give you a hand to lift you up, and I’m not going to judge you.”
Wade can point to the exact day her life began to change.
On Oct. 14, 2001, she was on her way to buy heroin before attending church. But rather than getting the drugs she expected, she was ripped off. Frustrated and angry, she returned home, only to feel compelled by what she describes as a persistent inner voice urging her to get dressed and go to church anyway.
There, during a small service, she encountered a scripture that would alter the course of her life.
“I heard that same voice that told me to go to church say, ‘You’re going to stop denying my spirit the power to change.'”