Author and public speaker Kemba Smith Pradia visits Kansas City to screen and discuss the 2024 film, Kemba, a BET Original and MPI Original.

The film is based on Smith Pradia’s own experience as a sheltered college student who falls in love with a man who turns out to be an abusive drug dealer. Although she never dealt or handled drugs, Smith Pradia received a sentence for 24.5 years in federal prison for her boyfriend’s illicit dealings, caught up in the government’s "war on drugs."

Her parents, along with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, launched a campaign for her appeal and later clemency. Thanks to public support, President Bill Clinton commuted her sentence in December 2000 after she served 6.5 years in prison.

Following the screening, Smith Pradia, who served as an executive producer on the film, answers questions from the audience.

Smith Pradia is a criminal justice reform advocate, author, Virginia Humanities HBCU fellow, executive producer, and former Virginia Parole Board member. Her book will be available for purchase at the event, and she will be available to sign copies.