EAVScholar - Kemba Smith Event #3 Youth Leadership Summit

Kemba Smith Pradia is an accomplished advocate for criminal justice reform. Her life story, marked by a highly publicized legal battle and eventual presidential clemency, has inspired many across the nation.

Kemba’s story has been featured on a several television networks and media publications. She is the author of her memoir Poster Child: The Kemba Smith Story and recently, Kemba has taken on a new role as an award-winning executive producer of the powerful film, KEMBA. As an advocate, she has worked with Members of Congress and led training for Federal and State Probation organizations across the country. As a consultant, Kemba was part of an NAACP Delegation that traveled to Geneva Switzerland on multiple occasions to give testimony before high officials on the United Nations Human Rights Council. Her participation highlighted the implications of mass incarceration and the protection of human and voting rights for formerly incarcerated individuals. Through these efforts, Kemba Smith has helped to raise awareness on an international scale about the injustices within our legal system in the United States. Kemba also frequently liaises and advises senior officials from state houses to the White House.

She is also a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., the NAACP and the National Association of Blacks in Criminal Justice. As founder of The Kemba Smith Foundation, its mission is to raise awareness on today’s most important social issues facing youth and women—including domestic violence, law enforcement and policing in black communities, voter empowerment, drug policy, sentencing, reentry, mass incarceration and its impact on families.

"What’s L.O.V.E. Got to do With It: Breaking the Chains: A Youth Leadership Summit of Leadership and Empowerment" Wednesday, February 20th

Event Description: This summit is designed for college and high school students, focusing on leadership development, social justice, and empowerment. It will include topics like:

• - Importance of self-esteem and loving oneself
• - Associations
• - Mental health
• - How easy it is to get caught up in the criminal justice system
• - Law enforcement and policing
• - Drug policy and sentencing
• - How they have already been impacted by the criminal justice system

Kemba Smith will share her story and lead a session preventing young people from being impacted by the legal system and learn how to become effective advocates for justice.

Event Length: 2.5 hours (1:50 mins for the screening, 1 hour for the discussion and Q&A)

Host or Publisher The Office of Social Equity and Community at Penn