Kim Kardashian has worn many hats juggling her career as reality TV star turned cosmetics mogul, all while maintaining the reputation as the most famous celebrity in the world.
But there’s a new mantle the mother-of-four has been trying on in recent years that seems to fit her best — that of social justice warrior.
Kim has become an advocate for righting what she feels are societal wrongs, especially prison reform.
Here are all the times Kim has used her resources to shine a spotlight on the fight for human rights and equality.
Freeing A Great-Grandmother
In probably her most widely publicized act of social justice, Kim took up the case of Alice Johnson in October 2017. The then 63-year-old great-grandmother was serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole for a first-time drug offense.
Kim’s visit and plea for prison reform with President Donald Trump eventually led to Johnson being granted clemency in June 2018. She served more than 21 years behind bars for her role in facilitating communications in a cocaine trafficking operation in Memphis, Tennessee.
Fighting For Female Inmates’ Safety
In July 2018, Kim advocated for female prisoners in California by visiting the California Institution for Women in Corona. Her mission was to help create a program for women adjusting to life after jail.
She also tweeted at then-Governor Jerry Brown to sign a bill to increase female inmate safety around male correctional officers. Brown eventually signed the bill into law in August of that year.
Ending California Death Penalty
In March of this year, Kim tweeted that she met with California Governor Gavin Newsom and supports his efforts to end the death penalty in the state.
Newsom signed the order, granting a reprieve for the more than 730 condemned prisoners for as long as he is governor.
Paying Rent For Ex-Convict
In 2019, Kim offered to pay the rent for recently released inmate Matthew Charles, who was sentenced to 35 years in 1996 for selling drugs and illegally possessing a gun.
Charles was denied housing because of his criminal record, which inspired Kim to ask landlords in Nashville, Tennessee to come forward to give Charles “a second chance”. He eventually found a new home.
Pleading For Non-Violent Offender
Last year, Kim appeared on the podcast “Wrongful Conviction” and shared that she is working on the release of Chris Young, who she said received life in prison on drug charges after receiving three strikes.
“Yesterday, I had a call with a gentleman that’s in prison for a drug case — got life,” she said on the podcast. “It’s so unfair. He’s 30 years old; he’s been in for almost 10 years.” Young has yet to be released.
Focusing On Clemency
In 2004, Cyntoia Brown-Long was charged with fatally shooting 43-year-old Johnny Allen — who allegedly hired her for sex when she was 16. Lawyers for Brown-Long argued she acted in self-defense.
Kim — among other celebrities such as Rihanna and LeBron James — used social media platforms to put a focus on Brown-Long’s case and she was granted clemency in 2019 after serving 15 years in jail.
In May, Kim shared the good news of Jeffrey Stringer being freed from jail after 20 years. Kim helped negotiate the low-level drug offender’s release. At the time, she posted, “We did it again! Had the best call w/this lovely family & my attorney @msbkb who just won release for their loved one Jeffrey in Miami!”
In July of the same year, after visiting with inmate Momolu Stewart at District of Columbia Correctional Treatment Facility, Kim wrote a letter to the judge asking for leniency. It worked. Stewart — convicted of murder at 17 and having served 22 years — had his sentence reduced to time served with five years of probation.
When family friend A$AP Rocky was arrested in Sweden for suspected assault earlier this year, Kim and husband Kanye asked President Trump to step in. While that did not appear to sway the courts in Sweden, Rocky was eventually found guilty of assault but was released for time served.
And the star was with Rodney Reed when he got the news of his execution being suspended indefinitely after she fought for his murder case to be reexamined after new evidence proved he was likely innocent.
Kim is just beginning her social justice crusade as she recently began studying to become a lawyer, with plans to take the bar exam in 2022. Let’s not forget it’s in her blood, she is the daughter of famed attorney Robert Kardashian Jr after all.
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