February 14th 2024.
There's a new film set to hit BET+ that tells the powerful story of a woman who fell victim to the harsh laws fueling the War on Drugs and the alarming increase of Black women in prison. It's called Kelley Kali's Kemba and it's premiering on Feb. 22. This made-for-TV movie is based on the true events of Kemba Smith, a woman who was charged as a co-conspirator in her college boyfriend's drug-trafficking crimes and sentenced to 24 and a half years in federal prison, all while she was seven months pregnant. Yahoo News reported on her story and it's truly heartbreaking.
Kemba was just a sheltered college student who had never been in any kind of legal trouble. She never sold or used drugs, but unfortunately, she was in a toxic and abusive relationship with her boyfriend, Peter Hall. Despite having a clean record, federal prosecutors charged her with conspiracy to distribute cocaine and in 1994, she was given a sentence of almost 25 years without the possibility of parole. It's a clear example of the arbitrary and unjust nature of federal mandatory sentencing guidelines, which didn't take into account Kemba's unique circumstances, as pointed out by the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.
The Legal Defense Fund became involved in Kemba's case once they learned about the many injustices she faced. And in 2000, their hard work paid off when they successfully obtained clemency for Kemba after she had served six and a half years in prison. However, even though it's been 24 years since her release, statistics show that Black women are still being incarcerated at alarming rates for drug-related offenses. According to The Sentencing Project, the number of incarcerated women has increased by 525% between 1980 and 2021.
A study in April 2023 attributed this continued rise in the women's prison population to "more extensive law enforcement efforts, harsher drug sentencing laws, and obstacles to re-entering society that disproportionately affect women." These numbers are even more shocking when looking at the population of Black women in prison. A census in 2020 found that while Black women make up only 7.7% of the total U.S. population and 15.3% of the female population, they account for 29% of incarcerated women.
The Legal Defense Fund remains dedicated to working with Kemba and the Kemba Smith Foundation to bring attention to crucial issues within the criminal justice system. Kemba's book, Poster Child: The Kemba Smith Story, tells her harrowing journey through domestic abuse, injustice, disenfranchisement, and the challenges of re-entering society. It's a powerful and eye-opening read. And for those who want to learn more, Kemba will be available to stream on BET+ starting Feb. 22, 2024.
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