Land of the Free: Black Women Incarceration Crisis
Kemba Smith was the girl in the debutante dress, the girl who had it all. But one mistake would change her life forever.
Imagine you’re fresh into college, excited for your future, and ready to take on the world. But you fall in love with a guy and that hope is ripped away from you. One mistake results in you becoming a victim of domestic abuse, a single mother, thrown into the drug world, and worst of all a federal prisoner.
This is the story of Kemba Smith.
Kemba was released on BET+ on June 10, 2024, “Based on the true story of Kemba Smith, a college student falls in love with a man who turns out to be a drug kingpin and leads her down a dangerous path.” Smith remained in prison for six and a half years before getting clemency.
We’ve all been there, having interest in the person we know is bad for us but that doesn’t sway our view or feelings. After learning about the true identity of her boyfriend, he became abusive. Beaten, scared, and confused, Smith felt helpless there was no way to escape without risking her or her family’s lives.
After getting the courage to leave almost 9 months pregnant, she was almost ready to tell the truth, when she discovered her boyfriend had died. The discovery of his whereabouts was no longer needed, so her plea deal was no longer in effect and instead, all of his convictions were pinned on her.
As Black women, we are constantly fed media like “For Coloured Girls” and “The Color Purple,” where we see brutal examples of domestic violence and struggle love. These examples of love become normalized subconsciously, and unfortunately many young girls may grow to no longer see it as an issue.
“Young Black girls and women must protect themselves from this cycle by realizing that in their true authenticity that they are enough and…prioritizing themselves first,” said Smith. Not a relationship, but prioritizing their dreams, goals in life and where they want to go in life.”
In 1995, when Smith was arrested, the war on drugs was in full effect and Black women were in the forefront of those being targeted. According to the Prison Policy Initiative, today 190,600
women are incarcerated with Black women being 1.6 times more likely than white women to be incarcerated.
Although Smith was fortunate to have been freed, many others just like her are still wrongfully behind bars. “Free Michelle West,” said Smith at a screening of “Kemba” at Amazon Music Studios. West and Smith were incarcerated together and after 24 years of being out, West is still behind bars.
Now Smith uses her time to fight for prison reform to help those alike.
It was West’s first offense with no criminal history and like Smith, she was in an abusive relationship and her conviction was during the “war on drugs.” She is serving a life sentence and it’s said if she was convicted today, a life sentence would not be mandatory.
“Michelle West is a fighter! She continues to inspire and empower not only her daughter, but the many women that she has crossed paths with behind the wall,” said Smith. She deposited into our lives, but yet she has watch many of us walk out of those prison doors. She has had over 30 years to learn from her mistakes and its time to Free Michelle West!
This still is a continuous cycle. There are so many Smiths and Wests out there who have suffered at the hands of an unjust criminal system and need our help. So do your research, sign the petitions, and let’s help get Michelle West out.
The fight isn’t over.
