Kemba Smith Pradia went from college student to drug dealer’s girlfriend to domestic violence victim to federal prisoner, and in 1994 she was sentenced to 24.5 years in federal prison. Kemba’s story was featured on a variety of television shows and in several publications. The support prompted then-President Clinton to commute her sentence in December 2000, after having served 6. 5 years in prison.
Today, Kemba is a wife, mother, public speaker, advocate, consultant, and author of Poster Child. She has worked with senior officials at The White House, the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, Members of Congress, and has led trainings for Federal and State Probation organizations across the country. Currently, she continues to serve on the Board of Directors for Virginia CARES, Drug Policy Alliance. She is also a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and the NAACP.
Along with being an advocate for criminal justice reform, Kemba is the founder of her 501(c)3, The Kemba Smith Foundation. Ultimately, Kemba knows that there is a lesson in each experience in life, and she has embraced her experience, learned from it, and is now using that experience to teach others.
