Pubdate: Sat, 16 Aug 2003 Source: Sarasota Herald-Tribune (FL) Copyright: 2003 Sarasota Herald-Tribune Contact: http://www.heraldtribune.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/398 Author: Patty Allen-Jones of the Herald Tribune WOMAN FREED BY CLINTON TO SPEAK Kemba Smith Vowed To Help Others If God Helped Her Through Her 24-Year Sentence SARASOTA -- Seven months' pregnant and facing more than 20 years behind bars on drug charges, Kemba Smith made a solemn vow from her prison cell. If God would help her through the ordeal, she would spend the rest of her life helping others. "I would cry at night and pray and ask God for a voice," said Smith, now 31. After five years in a Connecticut women's prison, her prayer was answered. The Virginia native was pardoned by President Clinton before he left office in 2000. She was among 62 people to receive executive clemency. Some pardons were controversial. Since 2001 she's been traveling in and out of the country talking to people about bad choices that can land you in trouble, and how harsh the criminal justice system can be. "This should not happen to anyone else. I felt our community didn't realize that these policies affect people this way." Today, she will be the keynote speaker at the free "Meet Me at the Crossroads" Youth Summit presented by the Bradenton Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. at Emma E. Booker Elementary School, at 2350 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Sarasota. The event targets middle- and high-school students who likely will confront such issues as self-esteem, peer pressure, sex, abusive relationships, and/or drug abuse. It is scheduled for 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and is open to the public. Smith will talk about the country's drug policies as well as encourage the young people to make the right decisions, love and respect themselves, and choose their friends carefully. These are some of the lessons she learned. Her ordeal started when she entered Hampton University in Virginia in 1989, a young girl from a small community. She fell in love with the late Peter Michael Hall, a cocaine dealer and leader of a violent drug ring who beat her. In previous interviews, Smith said she was impressed with his well-furnished, tri-level apartment. She was indicted by federal officials along with Hall in 1993 for allegedly conspiring to distribute cocaine and marijuana. He also was accused of murder. Smith, who was pregnant at the time, pleaded guilty in August 1994. Hall was killed in Seattle three months later. Officials believed at the time that he was recruiting for his drug business. Prosecutors determined that Smith carried money and weapons for Hall, but did not handle or use drugs, according to reports. Still, the first-time, non-violent offender was sentenced to 24 years and six months in federal prison with no chance of parole. That was the mandatory minimum punishment. NAACP lawyers and a massive letter-writing campaign helped win her pardon in December 2000. A month later, she was talking to an audience in Richmond, fulfilling the vow she had made. "I was uncomfortable doing it, but it was me recognizing God's blessing and being obedient to the reason why he released me," she said. "I don't like being in the forefront because it can be uncomfortable, but each and every time God gives me the strength to continue doing it." Smith graduated from Virginia Union University in 2002 with a bachelor's degree in social work. She plans to attend law school eventually. Her son is now 8. Meanwhile she is working on a project to educate young people about injustices in the criminal justice system and to motivate them to fight for change. She is also writing a book. Corporations sponsor her appearances at high schools and colleges, and she speaks to battered women. "It's just really important for, I think, young people to have a sense of themselves," she said, "and also important for families and parents to kind of expose the young people and children to all aspects of life, so they can be prepared to combat the things that confront them." - --- MAP posted-by: SHeath(DPFFlorida)