Kemba Smith Biography

Kemba Smith grew up in the suburbs of Richmond, Virginia, as an only child, living a privileged and sheltered childhood. After graduating from high school in 1989, she left her family to continue her education at the prestigious Hampton University in Hampton, Virginia. Smith joined the wrong crowd and became involved with a drug dealer. He was a major figure in a crack cocaine ring and lured Smith into his life with physical, mental, and emotional abuse, disguised as “love.” After enduring a turbulent four-year relationship with him, Smith left and was sentenced to 24.5 years in prison but served 6.5 of those years in federal prison. She regained her freedom after President Clinton granted her clemency in December 2000. Her case drew support from many people worldwide in a crusade to reverse the disturbing trend in the rise of long sentences for first time, non-violent offenders. Her story has been featured on CNN, Nightline, Court TV, The Early Morning Show, Judge Hatchett, and a host of other television programs, along with several publications such as The Washington Post, The New York Times, Glamour, People, JET, Emerge, Heat and Soul, and Essence magazines. Smith’s traumatic real life experience in an example to students to understand that there are consequences to their life choices. She has been sponsored to speak at a variety of high schools and college venues by Proctor & Gamble, Bank One Academy, Shell Corporation, BET, Traveler’s Foundation, and Verizon. Rainforest Films acquired the rights to produce Smith’s life story into a film. Rainforest Films is based out of Atlanta and has produced films such as Stomp the Yard, This Christmas, Obsessed, Takers, and Think Like a Man. Smith is a graduate of Virginia Union University and was a past recipient for a two year Soros Justice Postgraduate Fellowship for advocates. She has spoken on panels, testifying before Congress and the United Nations regarding a variety of criminal justice issues, including: crack cocaine sentencing, mandatory drug sentencing, women and incarceration, felony disenfranchisement, and re-entry. Smith will continuing to develop her 501 foundation, the Kemba Smith Foundation. As a wife, mother, advocate, national public speaker, and author of her long awaited memoir, Poster Child, Smith has received numerous awards and recognitions for her courage and determination to educate the public about the devastating consequences of current drug policies. She embraced her experience, learned from it, and is now using that experience to teach others so as to avoid the mistakes that she made.

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