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CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM ADVOCATE KEMBA SMITH PRADIA PARDONED AND MICHELLE WEST'S SENTENCE COMMUTED BY BIDEN ADMINISTRATION

CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM ADVOCATE KEMBA SMITH PRADIA PARDONED AND MICHELLE WEST'S SENTENCE COMMUTED BY BIDEN ADMINISTRATION

Smith Pradia and West’s stories chronicled in the BET+ Original feature “Kemba,” starring Nesta Cooper, Sean Patrick Thomas, Michelle Hurd, and Siddiq Saunderson, directed by 2025 NAACP Image Award nominee Kelley Kali, and produced by MPI Original Films


Link to Kemba Smith Pradia and Michelle West family photos here
Link to YouTube trailer here

Link to key art here
Link to set photos here

Los Angeles, CA, January 23, 2025 - In one of his final official duties in the White House, President Joe Biden issued a pardon for criminal justice reform advocate and subject and executive producer of the BET+ self-titled film “Kemba,” Kemba Smith Pradia. Michelle West, whose story is also chronicled in the film, and who remained incarcerated after Smith’s release in 2000, was also granted clemency, with her sentence commuted. 

Smith Pradia and West, both sentenced under mandatory minimum sentencing guidelines for drug charges, stories were set to the big screen in the 2024 film adaptation “Kemba” which premiered on February 22, 2024, on BET+. The film’s producers, MPI Original Films, and impact partner Represent Justice, in cooperation with BET+, hosted an ambitious 135 screenings across the United States to raise awareness of Smith Pradia’s story while she continued to advocate for West’s release.

Smith Pradia enrolled in Hampton University in 1989, where she met her boyfriend–an active participant in a drug trafficking ring in Virginia. This association eventually led to him and Smith fleeing authorities across multiple states. 

Just 3.5 years after meeting, Smith Pradia, a first-time nonviolent offender who had never handled or sold drugs, turned herself in to authorities while her boyfriend remained on the run. Kemba was expecting a child with said boyfriend who had been killed just one month after she turned herself in. In 1994, at 23 years of age, Kemba was sentenced to 24 and a half years in prison.

The harsh sentence was undoubtedly attributed to mandatory minimum sentencing for drug-related charges and circumstantial evidence as chronicled in a report from the Sentencing Project titled: “Young Black Americans and the Criminal Justice System: Five Years Later.”

During her imprisonment, organizations including the Legal Defense Fund (LDF) and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. raised awareness for Kemba’s case through local and national media which Smith Pradia credited for her clemency. 

Statement from Kemba Smith Pradia:
"I am overwhelmed with gratitude and humbled by the news that I have been granted a full pardon by President Joe Biden. 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," said Kemba Smith Pradia, subject and executive producer of "Kemba." "Even more powerful is the news that after 32 years, my dear friend, Michelle West, has received a commutation. She is an extraordinary woman whose resilience, courage, and unwavering faith have been a source of inspiration to me and so many others. To everyone who has supported me and Michelle over the years - the advocates, media, legislators, legal teams, organizations, and communities who have amplified our voices - I cannot thank you enough.” 

"But this moment is not just about Michelle and me," Kemba added "It is about the countless individuals--mothers, fathers, sons, and daughters--who remain incarcerated under unjust circumstances. Mass incarceration isn't a Democratic or Republican issue, it's a human rights issue. We must continue working to build a just system that values redemption, acknowledges humanity, and creates opportunities for all."

Statement from Miquelle West, daughter of Michelle West:
I am overjoyed and deeply grateful that President Biden has commuted my mom’s life sentence. I was only a little girl when my mom dropped me off for 

school one morning, and never picked me up. That was the last time I hugged my mom outside of prison. I have grown up and lived my entire adult life under the cloud of “mandatory life in prison.” Today, after more than 30 years hoping and advocating every day that her life sentence could somehow be reduced, the clouds have parted. I finally see the sunshine and a bright future for us both. 

I know there are many people who deserve the extraordinary relief my mom received today. I have met many people in my shoes along this journey – brothers, sisters, mothers and fathers, daughters and sons – whose loved ones were sentenced under mandatory and outdated laws. I want to say thank you 

to President Biden for using his final days in office to right so many of these wrongs. And I want to say to the people who are still hoping and fighting, keep going. Keep trying. Keep hope alive. My mom never lost hope. I never lost hope. And most importantly, we never lost sight of our love and our reason to keep going. 

I also want to thank my mom’s attorney, Amanda Bashi, and my mom’s friend and advocate Kemba Smith, for their tireless advocacy on my mother’s behalf. Additionally, I appreciate the many organizations, individuals, journalists, and celebrities who have given their time and energy to my mother’s story and her freedom.

Statement from MPI Original Films:
"At MPI, we are passionate about sharing stories that inspire hope, celebrate freedom, and highlight the transformative power of second chances. It was a profound honor to be entrusted to bring Kemba's story to life, and we are proud to stand alongside her as Kemba received her full pardon and Michelle finally had her sentence commuted," said Rob Pfaltzgraff, "Kemba" producer and MPI President. "This victory underscores the transformative power of storytelling to inspire change and the steadfast determination of those who champion justice and individual rights."

Statement from BET Media Group:
“Kemba Smith and Michelle West’s stories are a testament to resilience, courage, and the importance of advocating for those unjustly incarcerated,” said Scott Mills, President and CEO of BET Media Group. “At BET, we are deeply honored to have played a role in amplifying their voices through the film Kemba, which has brought critical awareness to the injustices of mandatory minimum sentencing and its disproportionate impact on Black communities. This moment is a profound reminder of the power of storytelling to inspire change, and we celebrate the freedom and second chances granted to both Kemba and Michelle. Their journeys underscore our continued commitment to shedding light on issues that matter most to our audience.”

Kemba Smith Pradia founded the Kemba Smith Foundation, a charitable organization which aims to raise awareness of certain social issues, including drug abuse, violence, AIDS, teenage pregnancy, and abuse.

“Kemba” can currently be streamed only on BET+. Visit Bet.plus for more information. 

ABOUT THE BET+ ORIGINAL FILM  “KEMBA”:
Based on the true story of Kemba Smith, “Kemba” follows the journey of a sheltered college student who falls in love with a man, only to find out he isn’t who he seems. When Kemba learns of her boyfriend Khalif’s true identity as a drug kingpin, he turns abusive—grooming straight-laced Kemba to overlook his illicit dealings. Though she never dealt or handled drugs, in a tragic turn of events, Kemba receives an outrageous sentence for her boyfriend’s crimes—placing her in the middle of the government’s “war on drugs.” Never losing hope, her parents, Gus and Odessa Smith, along with an attorney with the Legal Defense Fund launch a campaign for appeal and later clemency, harnessing the power of Black civic organizations, sororities, celebrities, and lawmakers to help free Kemba.

About MPI ORIGINAL FILMS:
MPI Original Films is a subsidiary of the Moving Picture Institute—a production company and talent incubator that creates high-impact films designed to entertain, inspire, and educate audiences with captivating stories about human freedom. MPI Original films include the 2019 feature film Miss Virginia starring Uzo Aduba (Mrs. America, Orange Is the New Black) and A Piece of Cake starring Rich Sommer (GLOW, Mad Men), which was nominated for Best Narrative Short at the Tribeca Film Festival. MPI’s 2023 feature Pinball starring Mike Faist (Challengers) and Crystal Reed (Teen Wolf, Swamp Thing) is currently available on streaming platforms including Hulu and Apple TV, and was hailed by New Yorker critic Richard Brody as “better than all ten of [2022’s] Best Picture nominees” and one of the top ten movies of 2023. Its most recent feature release Freedom Hair is now streaming on multiple platforms including Apple TV and Starz. For more information, please visit theMPI.org.

About BET MEDIA GROUP:
The BET Media Group, a unit of Paramount (NASDAQ: PARAA; PARA; PARAP), is the world’s largest media company dedicated to entertaining, engaging, and empowering the Black community and championing Black culture. Connecting Black audiences through a portfolio of brands including BET, BET+, BET Gospel, BET HER, BET International, BET Jams, BET Soul, BET Studios, and VH1, the BET Media Group is a thriving media ecosystem of leading interconnected platforms across cable TV, streaming, digital, studios, live events and international. For more information about BET, visit www.bet.com and follow @BET on social platforms. For more BET news announcements, follow us on social @BET_PR.

CONTACTS:

Aaron Bastian, BET+
aaron.bastian@bet.net

Autumn Griffin, BET+
autumn.griffin@bet.net

Allison Ryan, MPI Original Films
allison@thempi.org