RUSH TRANSCRIPT Abuse and ░░░░░░░░ and finally freedom Campus ░░░░░░░░ was only 23 years ░░░░░░░░ when she was sentenced ░░░░░░░░ more than two decades ░░░░░░░░ prison The air was ░░░░░░░░ and the war on ░░░░░░░░ was as rampant as ░░░░░░░░ was racist Can t ░░░░░░░░ boyfriend at the time ░░░░░░░░ hull was a drug ░░░░░░░░ Can vote witness from ░░░░░░░░ legal stuff go down ░░░░░░░░ she would not commit ░░░░░░░░ crimes She had no ░░░░░░░░ of violence not even ░░░░░░░░ single prior offense Still ░░░░░░░░ you belong believe None ░░░░░░░░ that mattered Why Because ░░░░░░░░ mandatory and imam sentencing ░░░░░░░░ After kemba s boyfriend ░░░░░░░░ murdered she was held ░░░░░░░░ for his actions She ░░░░░░░░ 24 years old and ░░░░░░░░ to 24 years For ░░░░░░░░ else s crimes Unfortunately ░░░░░░░░ the help of the ░░░░░░░░ legal defense fund she ░░░░░░░░ released in 2000 after ░░░░░░░░ years in prison Now ░░░░░░░░ remarkable life story is ░░░░░░░░ movie premiering February 22nd ░░░░░░░░ b E t Plus ░░░░░░░░ is an exclusive clip ░░░░░░░░ is going on I ░░░░░░░░ t know Okay Could ░░░░░░░░ at least tell us ░░░░░░░░ you are looking for ░░░░░░░░ hall also known as ░░░░░░░░ he certainly isn t ░░░░░░░░ addressed said tour that ░░░░░░░░ for sure Do you ░░░░░░░░ his whereabouts No sir ░░░░░░░░ do not That s ░░░░░░░░ baby People often ask ░░░░░░░░ why I became a ░░░░░░░░ Well the reason is ░░░░░░░░ and her name is ░░░░░░░░ Smith The director of ░░░░░░░░ Smith Kelly collie and ░░░░░░░░ am so thrilled to ░░░░░░░░ both of you here ░░░░░░░░ I tell you this ░░░░░░░░ In 1994 it was ░░░░░░░░ emerge magazine that said ░░░░░░░░ s nightmare My mother ░░░░░░░░ it to us three ░░░░░░░░ in her household and ░░░░░░░░ I need you to ░░░░░░░░ this and understand what ░░░░░░░░ be in life It ░░░░░░░░ always has always stuck ░░░░░░░░ me It changed my ░░░░░░░░ And for so many ░░░░░░░░ young women now a ░░░░░░░░ generation of people will ░░░░░░░░ your story What does ░░░░░░░░ feel like kemba It ░░░░░░░░ surreal It is actually ░░░░░░░░ have to let go ░░░░░░░░ my own feelings because ░░░░░░░░ everyone would want to ░░░░░░░░ all of their past ░░░░░░░░ that weren t the ░░░░░░░░ and being in a ░░░░░░░░ abusive relationship during college ░░░░░░░░ it feels good to ░░░░░░░░ here thank you It ░░░░░░░░ bigger than just me ░░░░░░░░ you said I actually ░░░░░░░░ one of the characters ░░░░░░░░ my film Michelle west ░░░░░░░░ actually has a clemency ░░░░░░░░ and but she was ░░░░░░░░ to life sentences plus ░░░░░░░░ years and she still ░░░░░░░░ sitting in federal prison ░░░░░░░░ I was released and ░░░░░░░░ all this galvanizing and ░░░░░░░░ with my story and ░░░░░░░░ took the president of ░░░░░░░░ United States to release ░░░░░░░░ I had a sense ░░░░░░░░ survival skills because so ░░░░░░░░ was John fortney but ░░░░░░░░ knew there were other ░░░░░░░░ who were in similar ░░░░░░░░ that deserve a second ░░░░░░░░ So I continue to ░░░░░░░░ a human face for ░░░░░░░░ I left behind Useful ░░░░░░░░ with some of that ░░░░░░░░ to this day Of ░░░░░░░░ I do She is ░░░░░░░░ there and there is ░░░░░░░░ many other people fighting ░░░░░░░░ with my movie there ░░░░░░░░ be a social impact ░░░░░░░░ that is launched along ░░░░░░░░ it Some of the ░░░░░░░░ that we would like ░░░░░░░░ do what we would ░░░░░░░░ the federal government to ░░░░░░░░ and states across the ░░░░░░░░ is look at second ░░░░░░░░ legislation governors to exercise ░░░░░░░░ power of clemency to ░░░░░░░░ other people second chances ░░░░░░░░ has been your big ░░░░░░░░ as well You have ░░░░░░░░ making the film because ░░░░░░░░ can t take it ░░░░░░░░ When you hear a ░░░░░░░░ year old 24 years ░░░░░░░░ crime that she didn ░░░░░░░░ commit to think about ░░░░░░░░ in college You think ░░░░░░░░ the end young and ░░░░░░░░ like we all have ░░░░░░░░ and maybe it will ░░░░░░░░ again To think about ░░░░░░░░ relatability and the consequences ░░░░░░░░ really brought out the ░░░░░░░░ dimensional 80 of all ░░░░░░░░ people who are portrayed ░░░░░░░░ a real life story ░░░░░░░░ brought on film Yes ░░░░░░░░ that is important As ░░░░░░░░ storyteller at least from ░░░░░░░░ perspective my background is ░░░░░░░░ anthropology from howard university ░░░░░░░░ what I was taught ░░░░░░░░ is that we are ░░░░░░░░ not one note I ░░░░░░░░ that in movies and ░░░░░░░░ oftentimes you have this ░░░░░░░░ note villain and then ░░░░░░░░ one note he wrote ░░░░░░░░ is not life that ░░░░░░░░ not what we go ░░░░░░░░ When we are able ░░░░░░░░ tell stories such as ░░░░░░░░ s we have to ░░░░░░░░ one conscientious and careful ░░░░░░░░ it is a bioptic ░░░░░░░░ these are real people ░░░░░░░░ have family and kids ░░░░░░░░ are still living today ░░░░░░░░ we need to make ░░░░░░░░ we are not causing ░░░░░░░░ to them as well ░░░░░░░░ if we are showing ░░░░░░░░ truth and showing the ░░░░░░░░ of the individual even ░░░░░░░░ they didn t make ░░░░░░░░ decisions there is still ░░░░░░░░ human being there No ░░░░░░░░ wakes up and says ░░░░░░░░ I want to be ░░░░░░░░ drug dealer one day ░░░░░░░░ are circumstances in which ░░░░░░░░ live in that cause ░░░░░░░░ decisions Heaven forbid we ░░░░░░░░ have to make decisions ░░░░░░░░ that but we can ░░░░░░░░ release it and say ░░░░░░░░ we would never do ░░░░░░░░ Not until you are ░░░░░░░░ in that circumstance As ░░░░░░░░ storyteller and filmmaker I ░░░░░░░░ it is our responsibility ░░░░░░░░ take that care in ░░░░░░░░ single person character whoever ░░░░░░░░ are depicting on screen ░░░░░░░░ said it so profound ░░░░░░░░ yet so many people ░░░░░░░░ sit in judgment I ░░░░░░░░ been a prosecutor I ░░░░░░░░ endeavored to be a ░░░░░░░░ I was hoping to ░░░░░░░░ a conduit and a ░░░░░░░░ for people There are ░░░░░░░░ who sit in judgment ░░░░░░░░ think I would never ░░░░░░░░ is her that is ░░░░░░░░ that is what they ░░░░░░░░ They think they are ░░░░░░░░ than the circumstances they ░░░░░░░░ around and I just ░░░░░░░░ you have had a ░░░░░░░░ since that 24 year ░░░░░░░░ girl inside a few ░░░░░░░░ you look back now ░░░░░░░░ you judge her I ░░░░░░░░ t judge her because ░░░░░░░░ understand that she was ░░░░░░░░ young naive impressionable college ░░░░░░░░ I made some choices ░░░░░░░░ weren t the best ░░░░░░░░ I do look at ░░░░░░░░ the fact that I ░░░░░░░░ a survivor and I ░░░░░░░░ indicted by federal government ░░░░░░░░ didn t take into ░░░░░░░░ the fact that I ░░░░░░░░ being abused and a ░░░░░░░░ violence aspect I feel ░░░░░░░░ if that is something ░░░░░░░░ circumstances that the prosecutor ░░░░░░░░ have taken into consideration ░░░░░░░░ do accept responsibility for ░░░░░░░░ choices that weren t ░░░░░░░░ that is why I ░░░░░░░░ so transparent in telling ░░░░░░░░ story because I do ░░░░░░░░ to prevent the prisoner ░░░░░░░░ school pipeline and from ░░░░░░░░ people to go down ░░░░░░░░ same path not to ░░░░░░░░ down that same path ░░░░░░░░ it has been my ░░░░░░░░ to highlight the prosecutorial ░░░░░░░░ that happened or I ░░░░░░░░ myself in seven months ░░░░░░░░ and the prosecutors said ░░░░░░░░ he would grant me ░░░░░░░░ bond to give birth ░░░░░░░░ my son and also ░░░░░░░░ that if I pled ░░░░░░░░ I would only get ░░░░░░░░ months Heat reneged on ░░░░░░░░ promise as well It ░░░░░░░░ really important for me ░░░░░░░░ let people know what ░░░░░░░░ and how easy it ░░░░░░░░ to get caught up ░░░░░░░░ am proud of you ░░░░░░░░ proud of you kemba ░░░░░░░░ and proud of this ░░░░░░░░ because I think the ░░░░░░░░ needs to be told ░░░░░░░░ frankly our stories while ░░░░░░░░ a monolith is far ░░░░░░░░ expensive than people give ░░░░░░░░ credit for I am ░░░░░░░░ glad this is coming ░░░░░░░░ light and it is ░░░░░░░░ that will always be ░░░░░░░░ endure to my heart ░░░░░░░░ you so much Thank ░░░░░░░░ Laura Thank you Thank ░░░░░░░░ all for watching our ░░░░░░░░ continues.