President Biden Ends Tenure with Clemency for Kemba Smith and Other Advocates
In the final act of his presidency on Sunday (Jan. 19), now-former President Joe Biden issued a series of high-profile pardons and commutations, including one for Kemba Smith Pradia. In 1994, the criminal justice advocate was sentenced to twenty-four years in prison for a nonviolent drug offense.
Smith's story gained national attention in the 1990s. After serving seven years of her sentence, President Bill Clinton commuted it, leading to her release in 2000. This pivotal moment allowed her to reclaim her life and embark on a mission to advocate for justice reform. Her story was also adapted into a film titled “KEMBA,” now streaming on BET+.
Through her nonprofit foundation, Smith has championed causes such as domestic violence awareness, racial equity, and women’s empowerment. Her efforts even earned her a seat on the Virginia Sentencing Commission and the Virginia Parole Board, according to Richmond local news.
Smith was joined in receiving a pardon by Don Scott, who made history in 2024 as the first Black Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates. Additionally, President Biden posthumously pardoned Black nationalist Marcus Garvey, who was convicted of mail fraud in the 1920s. Garvey’s sentence had been commuted in 1927 by President Calvin Coolidge.
Scott, who served seven years on drug charges, expressed gratitude for the president’s decision, telling CBS News, “I take nothing for granted.”
The 59-year-old noted, “I think there are so many people like me who deserve second chances, and there are people in power who won't do it, who won't use the power that they have,” adding, “I'm grateful that President Biden used his.”
In December, Biden carried out the largest single-day clemency action in modern history, commuting the sentences of approximately 1,500 individuals and granting pardons to nearly 40 Americans convicted of nonviolent offenses.