COLUMBIA, SC (WIS) – For Columbia native Shawnte Williams, redemption came after years of turmoil and trauma.

Her faith led her through a dark time in her life as she faced non-violent drug charges in 2005.

This entry has since been deleted.

Williams was one of 39 pardoned by President Joe Biden and nearly 1,500 whose sentences were commuted on Thursday in a historic act of forgiveness.

“I won’t say I can’t believe it because I’ve been praying, but I’m still in awe because it’s been a long time and I’ve suffered and struggled, but now this shows me that the doors are about to open will,” she said in an exclusive interview on Friday. “Prayers that I prayed a long time ago are about to be answered, and I’m just thankful, and I’m thankful because God is good.”

Williams, 45, said her emotions were varied, but she was overjoyed and motivated to get better.

She gave all glory to God and said she feels a responsibility to help others overcome and avoid similar situations that plagued her in her youth.

“If I could help one person, I would be OK,” Williams said. “But I don’t want to stop at just one. But if this is just what I do, this will be a happy moment for me.”

Raised by her grandmother, Williams said she had a tough childhood and spent a lot of time hanging out in the wrong crowds. She was indicted in her 20s and eventually pleaded guilty to federal drug charges.

Williams served three years of probation.

“This is not something God did, this is something I chose to do,” she said. “So that was up to me. But if I continue to believe in him and trust him, I know he will make a path for me.”

She described the dark cloud of drug offenses that she said followed her for nearly 20 years and made it difficult for her to keep a job or seek new opportunities.

“I was distraught because I asked myself, ‘Will I ever get where I want to go?'” she described these inner struggles.

Williams explained that she rarely shared her problems with anyone and even though it was difficult at times, she always stuck to her faith.

“He will accompany us through this,” she said. “It may not be the time we want it, it may not look the way we want it, but see, He is always in the background making ways for us when we don’t even know it.”

Williams knew she wanted something better for herself and her children, so she began researching the presidential pardon process in 2017.

Her criminal record forced her to give up a part-time job working with children a few years ago, which she said had brought her great joy.

“After I lost that job, it was like I didn’t want to work anymore anyway, I just didn’t want to do anything,” Williams said. “But every day when I got up, I smiled and pretended to be happy. But I wasn’t.”

She regularly emailed pardon attorneys asking for updates on her case.

On Nov. 20, she sent an email saying, among other things, that the allegations were “preventing me from moving forward in life.”

On Wednesday of that week, bedridden and two days post-surgery, she received a call from a number in Washington, DC.

It was the call from the White House that would change her life.

It was a call for a second chance.

When she heard the news, Williams said she took a long break.

“I am free,” she said, describing what she was thinking at that moment. “That’s the song that was playing in my head. I am free. Praise the Lord, I am free. No more tied up, no more chains holding me down.”

Biden said it was an honor to pardon people “who have shown remorse and rehabilitation” and described Williams as a “loyal and reliable member of the community.”

“These words are like words from God,” Williams said. “It’s like encouragement from him. It’s like he spoke through this man so I could really understand. Because I’ve been through a lot in life and it’s hard for me to believe when people say that the things around me love me and stuff like that because of so much trauma and so many different things that happened, it’s hard for me that I get it sometimes. But that’s what I got.”

Williams said she has a heart for children.

She is active in her church and now hopes to share her testimony with others through nonprofit youth and women’s organizations.

The message: Don’t give up on yourself.

Williams was one of two from South Carolina pardoned by the president this week.

The other was a 43-year-old Gaffney woman named Denita Parker.

U.S. Congressman Jim Clyburn, who represents South Carolina’s Sixth District, said in a statement, “This grant of clemency and restoration of rights is a significant step forward.”

Feel more informed, prepared and connected with WIS. For more free content like this, subscribe to our Email newsletterAnd Download our apps. Do you have any feedback that can help us improve? Click here.

Copyright 2024 WIS. All rights reserved.