Will Packer, the producer of “Stomp The Yard” and “This Christmas,” is going to make a movie about Kemba Smith. You might remember seeing Kemba on the cover of Emerge Magazine, as the subject of a feature article which explored the unjust and short-sighted nature of mandatory drug sentencing laws. Once “Kemba’s Nightmare” hit the stands, the African American community, and other populations deeply impacted by incarceration, were awakened to the devastating reach of the flawed War on Drugs. As a young woman born to middle class parents in Richmond, Virginia, Kemba challenged popular ideas about the target population of the War on Drugs and the effectiveness of this nation’s leading drug policies. In her early 20s, Kemba was a naive college student who became the girlfriend of a drug dealer. Despite having no criminal record, she was sentenced to 24 years in federal prison for being associated with her boyfriend’s alleged $4 million crack cocaine operation. Since being granted clemency by President Clinton, Kemba has been working to mend her relationship with her son, who was born while Kemba was in custody, and rebuild connections to her extended family and community. She has also remained a vigilant advocate for drug policy reform.

I worked with Kemba to write her autobiography, which will also be published in the next year. Since working with Kemba on this project, I have come to realize just how many people still do not completely understand the flaws of the War on Drugs. After years of public speculation about her story, I’m so happy that her real story will finally be told–in narrative and on film. I hope that by sharing her story, Kemba will be able to help the public better understand the root causes of involvement in the justice system, the lingering impact of incarceration under our current framework, and what it takes to reclaim life after incarceration.

For more information about Kemba Smith, visit The Kemba Smith Foundation.

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