Watch: New film tells the story of criminal justice advocate Kemba Smith

A new drama tells the true story of inmate-turned-activist Kemba Smith, a Black woman who was a victim of the war on drugs.

Kemba Smith is pictured in a promotional photo. (Credit: Kemba Smith)

Kemba Smith, a student at Hampton University, received a nearly 25-year prison sentence in 1994 for the drug dealing crimes of her boyfriend. She gave birth to her son while incarcerated and after serving six and a half years, she received presidential clemency from President Bill Clinton. Decades later, a film is finally telling the story of Smith. The film’s director, Kelley Kali, and advocate, survivor, and author Kemba Smith join “theGrio with Marc Lamont Hill” to talk about the journey it took to get this story on screen. “Kemba” premieres Feb. 22 on BET+.

Learn more about Kemba Smith from the clip above, and tune into “theGrio with Marc Lamont Hill” tonight at 7 pm ET on theGrio cable channel.

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