President Joe Biden Grants Pardon To Kemba Smith Pradia 24 Years After Her Prison Release

Kemba Smith, in her 4th year of a mandatory minimum 24.5-year sentence for a first-time non-violent drug violation, poses for a portrait at the Federal Correctional Institution on March 13, 1998 in Danbury, Connecticut. A national movement has grown seeking clemency for Smith. Source: Karjean Levine / Getty

On Jan. 20, as he left the White House, President Joe Biden granted pardons to 25,000 individuals, offering official forgiveness for their crimes. Among those pardoned was criminal justice advocate Kemba Smith Pradia. Convicted in 1994 for a nonviolent drug offense, Smith was sentenced to 24 years in prison.

Despite never using or selling drugs herself, she was charged with conspiracy to distribute cocaine due to her involvement in an abusive relationship with a drug dealer, as explained by the Legal Defense Fund. Smith served just over six years of her sentence before President Bill Clinton commuted her sentence on Dec. 22, 2020.

A pardon, typically issued by a government authority such as a president or governor, means that the person’s conviction is erased, and they are no longer considered guilty of the offense. Thanks to President Biden’s actions, Pradia will get to close a dark chapter that loomed in her life for good.

Source: NurPhoto / Getty

On Monday, a message was shared on Pradia’s page expressing gratitude to President Biden for granting her pardon. The post also extended thanks to the president for pardoning Michelle West. In 1994, West was sentenced to two life terms plus 50 years for her role in drug-related crimes in southeast Michigan, including aiding and abetting a drug-related murder. Before her federal case, West had no criminal history, according to Michigan Public.

“Today, we celebrate the powerful acts of justice, mercy, and second chances! Kemba Smith Pradia has received a pardon, and Michelle West has been granted clemency,” the message read. “It’s been a long challenging, but blessed road that you’ve been on @kemba_smith and we’re so honored to have been able to support you in the work that you do and have done for so many, especially Michelle West @freemichellewest and her daughter @miquellewest 💕🥹. Their stories are a testament to resilience, hope, and the tireless efforts of advocates who believe in fairness and redemption.”

The post added, “Thank you to all who have been touched and inspired by Kemba and Michelle’s journey depicted in KEMBA. Your compassion and advocacy have played a vital role in bringing awareness to their stories.”

Today, Kemba Smith Pradia is using her freedom and platform to uplift incarcerated Black women.

According to her foundation’s website, Pradia is now a wife, mother, advocate, consultant, and author of Poster Child: The Kemba Smith Story, a memoir that details her life and highly publicized case. Kemba has collaborated with senior officials at the White House, worked with the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, engaged with Members of Congress, and led training sessions for federal and state probation organizations across the nation.

Her work has earned her numerous awards and recognitions for her courage and determination as a motivational speaker and advocate around issues of mass incarceration and prison reform. In 2019, she was appointed to the Virginia Parole Board by Governor Ralph Northam and continues to serve on the Virginia Criminal Sentencing Commission. Before this, Kemba served as the State Advocacy Campaigns Director for the ACLU of Virginia, where she worked on criminal justice reform and advocacy efforts.

In a statement posted on Instagram Monday via We Rep Justice, Smith thanked President Biden for the long-awaited pardon.

“Today, I dropped to my knees, thanking God for this moment. I am overwhelmed with gratitude and humbled by the news that I have been granted a full pardon by President Joe Biden,” she wrote in part. “This incredible act of grace not only expunges my criminal record and restores my rights but also reaffirms the belief that our past does not define our future.”

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President Joe Biden Grants Pardon To Kemba Smith Pradia