When Kim Kardashian-West recently became the face of prison reform activism, many of us watched the news and social feeds with a "Chile, bye," and a sigh of disbelief. Those who have been in the trenches fighting for years to right the wrongs against incarcerated people of color, scoffed at the headlines with some amused and others utterly disgusted and appalled.
Let's face it, few people think of Kim Kardashian as a top-of-mind beacon of change for black women behind bars.
Yet, when the reality star's visit to the White House and subsequent nail-in-the-coffin request to President Trump---a pariah among people of color both domestic and abroad---led to the release of Alice Marie Johnson, you couldn't help but salute. The second-eldest Kardashian sister used her influence beyond hawking makeup, celebrity, and extravagance to change the life of a grandmother who, after being convicted on a non-violent drug charge and serving 21 years, would have died in prison, away from the family and friends she had to leave behind.
According to reports, Kardashian was moved to get involved after seeing a Mic video on social media that detailed Johnson's story, but there's an even deeper story behind that---one that includes a tribe of women and men who have been working on Johnson's behalf long before Kardashian got her White House photo-op.
A major catalyst in this tribe is Topeka K. Sam, a formerly incarcerated activist. She worked with producers of the infamous video that led to it all, having built a personal relationship with Johnson that spans more than a year.
Topeka K. Sam
"That same morning [of the clemency granting], Ms. Alice and I were on the phone. We had no idea she would receive clemency that day. None. It was shortly after she and I got off the phone that she received that call from Kim Kardashian saying she'd be going home," Sam recalled during this exclusive interview with xoNecole.
When speaking with Sam about the experience and her role in it, I was privy to a wonderfully passionate, faith-filled woman of power whose candor and straightforward yet eloquent manner is intoxicatingly inspiring. Her drive to empower and assist women who seek to rebound and thrive post-prison is undeniable, and Johnson's case has thrust her into the spotlight.
"I am a woman of God, and I believe that when we walk in our purpose---when we walk in an anointing---and our steps are ordered, that's what happens. Ms. Alice [Johnson] is a woman of God. There were a lot of women of God who were surrounding Ms. Alice and her family. The woman who produced the Mic video is a woman of God," Sam added. "We were doing videos with Ms. Alice for years...and maybe we got [at most] 10,000 views---but it wasn't being shared in a way that [the Mic video was shared.] I heard [Kim Kardashian] talk about the universe, and people talk about their faith and how their spirit moves in different ways. For me, when she saw it, [I believe] she felt compelled to activate. And for whatever that's worth, she did it. As a woman of God, I understand that she was used in this by God."
"As a woman of God, I understand that she was used in this by God."
Sam recounted how the video that would change Johnson's life came about, and according to her account of it all, it's a perfect example of how one link can lead to another to form a chain of extraordinary action:
"I met Ms. Alice through Amy Povah, [founder of] CAN-DO [Foundation.] Amy received clemency from President Clinton [almost] 20 years ago as a first-time nonviolent drug offender...She highlighted 25 women and 25 men who she's vetted and worked with who are deserving of federal clemency. Ms. Alice was the number 1 person on her list," Sam said.
"I read her story three years ago and I said, 'I wanna help her.' ...I reached out to her case manager at the time, and asked if she could get permission to sit on these panels with us, and so she did. She Skyped in from prison, and we went to about 11 law schools around the country, [starting] February 2016. [That sparked more] panels… Google did a panel with [one of her] attorneys, Brittany Barnett, and #Cut50, and at that panel, Jake Horowitz [editor-at-large and co-founder of] Mic saw the video. [Entrepreneur and activist] Michael Skolnik reached out to me and connected me to Mic. I introduced them to Ms. Alice and I helped to facilitate the video that ended up getting 4 million views."
No one's a stranger to the shenanigans of the Trump administration, and for anybody who supports equality, freedom and basic human rights and respect, he is often seen as the antithesis of them all. Thus, holding confidence in him doing anything that benefits folk outside the golden 1%, for some, would be like waiting to meet Santa Clause.
"Many people, who are in this work, believed that nothing would happen under this administration...We could either say we're not going to fight because this is an administration people don't believe is going to act---a racist administration that only cares about themselves and the rich," Sam said. "I don't agree with some of the things that have happened [during the Trump administration], but you put your personal feelings aside when you're fighting for people. For us, it's people over politics. We know God can use anyone. To me, despite what anybody says the agenda might be… I just believe that God is saying to believe in Me. It didn't matter to me that they wanted to call Kim Kardashian the new prison reform activist or whether I was acknowledged for having a small role in the bigger picture. What mattered to me is that Ms. Alice is home."
"What mattered to me is that Ms. Alice is home."
Sam's faith and self-reflection is what led to her own redemption and renewal. She was convicted on drug conspiracy charges in 2013, and has since used her experience to build prison reform awareness and a safe community of sisters who have overcome the challenges of transitioning into life after prison. Sam grew up in a two-parent household of entrepreneurs and was a college-educated professional and businesswoman when she was arrested.
"I ended up going to college in Baltimore, where I was exposed---off-campus---to different things--things I was not [previously] aware of. I started dating guys who were engaged in the street lifestyle and I got caught up in that. As a result, I ended up in federal prison. Prior to my incarceration, I was division chairperson for Amtrak's On-board Service Workers Union. I was also a business owner and I wanted to open another business," she said. "While I was in prison, I had friends, family, resources---had visits if not every week, every other week, whether I was in Virginia, Connecticut, or Illinois, and I knew that my experience was different because I had resources and support. The women I met did not have, for the most part, the support I did. I saw the injustices that were happening in the system, some things I experienced---and it was placed on me by God, that when I came home, I had to help women to have access to education, entrepreneurship opportunities, spiritual empowerment, and advocacy."
Upon her release, she got busy launching The Ladies of Hope Ministries (LOHM), and partnered with friend Vanee Sykes to found Hope House NYC, a safe space and resource for women and girls formerly incarcerated.
Topeka K. Samme & eve
And the adage that behind every successful woman is a tribe of women who have her back is not lost on Sam, as she pointedly noted that she got her early support from veterans advocating for women in and released from prison, including Susan Burton, founder of A New Way of Life.
Hope House NYC's first facility in the Bronx is now full, and Sam has expanded her reach by serving as Director of Dignity for #Cut50, a national initiative led by Van Jones. She's also served as a Justice-In-Education Scholar at Columbia University, a Soros Justice Advocacy Fellow working on Probation and Parole Accountability, and host of "Last Mile Second Chances" on Siriusxm Urban View.
"Everybody has a lane, and I'm good in mine. When Kim Kardashian is in her lane---she has over 100 million followers on social media---and her lane is that she has the privilege of not only being a white woman but having access… She can walk into the White House, set up a meeting with this man, and compel him enough to want to stroke his pen. She's saying now that this isn't the last time she wants to do that, [and] she'll be held accountable, and continue to move forward, push more people, and move in the spirit [as] she feels needed."
"Everybody has a lane, and I'm good in mine."
Sam continued, "Hopefully she gets some of her friends involved and more people to step up and take chances--[people] who have the access--- instead of saying they're more concerned about their brand. I'm excited because I know who God is. For me, this just speaks volumes to what God can do and what God has done."
RELATED
The seeds for these entrepreneurs were planted during their time as students at schools like Spelman, North Carolina A&T, and more, which is why xoNecole caught up with Look Good Live Well’s Ariane Turner, HBCU Buzz’s Luke Lawal and Morehouse Senior Director of Marketing and Comms and Press Secretary Jasmine Gurley to highlight the role their HBCU roots play in their work as entrepreneurs, the legacy they aim to leave behind through the work that they do, and more as a part of Hyundai’s Best In Class initiative.
On Honoring HBCU Roots To Create Something That Is For Us, By Us
Ariane Turner
Courtesy
When Ariane Turner launched Look Good, Live Well, she created it with Black and brown people in mind, especially those with sensitive skin more prone to dryness and skin conditions like acne and eczema.
The Florida A&M University graduate launched her business to create something that addressed topical skin care needs and was intentional about its approach without negative terminology.
Turner shared that it is important to steer clear of language often adopted by more prominent brands, such as “banishing breakouts” or “correcting the skin,” because, in reality, Turner says there is nothing wrong with the way that our skin and bodies react to various life changes.
“I think what I have taken with me regarding my HBCU experience and translated to my entrepreneurial experience is the importance of not just networking,” Turner, the founder and CEO of Look Good, Live Well, tellls xoNecole.
“We hear that in business all the time, your network is your net worth, but family, there’s a thing at FAMU that we call FAMU-lee instead of family, and it’s very much a thing. What that taught me is the importance of not just making relationships and not just making that connection, but truly working on deepening them, and so being intentional about connecting with people initially, but staying connected and building and deepening those relationships, and that has served me tremendously in business, whether it’s being able to reach back to other classmates who I went to school with, or just networking in general.”
She adds, “I don’t come from a business background. As soon as I finished school, I continued with my entrepreneurial journey, and so there’s a lot of that traditional business act and the networking, those soft skills that I just don’t have, but I will say that just understanding how to leverage and network community and to build intentional relationships is something that has taken me far and I definitely got those roots while attending FAMU.”
On Solving A Very Specific Need For The Community
Luke Lawal Jr.
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When Luke Lawal Jr. launched HBCU Buzz, his main focus was to represent his community, using the platform to lift as they climbed by creating an outlet dedicated to celebrating the achievements and positive news affecting the 107 historically HBCUs nationwide.
By spotlighting the wonderful things that come from the HBCU community and coupling it with what he learned during his time at Bowie State University, Lawal used that knowledge to propel himself as an entrepreneur while also providing his people with accurate representation across the internet.
“The specific problem in 2011 when I started HBCU Buzz was more so around the fact that mainstream media always depict HBCUs as negative,” Lawal says. “You would only see HBCUs in the mainstream media when someone died, or the university president or someone was stepping down. It was always bad news, but they never shed light on all the wonderful things from our community."
So, I started HBCU Buzz to ensure the world saw the good things that come from our space. And they knew that HBCUs grew some of the brightest people in the world, and just trying to figure out ways to make sure our platform was a pedestal for all the students that come through our institutions.”
“The biggest goal is to continue to solve problems, continue to create brands that solve the problems of our communities, and make sure that our products, our brands, our companies, and institutions are of value and they’re helping our community,” he continues. “That they’re solving problems that propel our space forward.”
On How Being An HBCU Alum Impacts The Way One Shows Up In The World
Jasmine Gurley
Courtesy
Jasmine Gurley is a proud North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University alum. She is even more delighted with her current role, which enables her to give back to current HBCU students as the Senior Director of Brand Marketing and Communications and official press secretary at Morehouse College.
“It was a formative experience where I really was able to come into my own and say yes to all the opportunities that were presented to me, and because of that, it’s been able to open the doors later in life too,” says Gurley of her experience at North Carolina A&T. “One thing I love about many HBCUs is that we are required to learn way more about African American history than you do in your typical K through 12 or even at the higher ed level."
She adds, “It allowed us to have a better understanding of where we came from, and so for me, because I’m a storyteller, I’m a history person, I’m very sensitive to life in general, being able to listen to the stories and the trials that our ancestors overcame, put the battery pack in my back to say, ‘Oh nothing can stop me. Absolutely nothing can stop me. I know where I came from, so I can overcome something and try anything. And I have an obligation to be my ancestors’ wildest dreams. Simultaneously, I also have a responsibility to help others realize that greatness.
Gurley does not take her position at an HBCU, now as a leader, lightly.
“People think I’m joking when I say I’m living the dream, but I really am,” she notes. “So I wake up every day and know that the work that I do matters, no matter how hard it might be, how frustrating it may be, and challenging it. I know the ripple effect of my work, my team, and what this institution does also matter. The trajectory of Black male experiences, community, history, and then just American advancement just in general.”
On the other hand, through her business, Sankofa Public Relations, Gurley is also on a mission to uplift brands in their quest to help their respective communities. Since its inception in 2017, Sankofa PR has been on a mission to “reach back and reclaim local, national, and global communities by helping those actively working to move” various areas of the world, focusing on pushing things forward for the better.
“Through Sankofa, we’ve worked with all different types of organizational brands and individuals in several different industries, but I would think of them as mission-based,” says Gurley.
“So with that, it’s an opportunity to help people who are trying to do good in the world, and they are passionate about what they’re doing. They just need help with marketing issues, storytelling, and branding, and that’s when my expertise can come into play. Help them get to that moment where they can tell their story through me or another platform, and that’s been super fulfilling.”
Join us in celebrating HBCU excellence! Check out our Best In Class hub for inspiring stories, empowering resources, and everything you need to embrace the HBCU experience.
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Some folks are saying that October is now “uncuffing season” as partners won’t have to deal with the weight and expectations that come with this time of year. From matching Halloween costumes to voting to Thanksgiving and Christmas, it seems the new cuffing season has moved to January.
In August 2021, Zoë and Channing were first rumored to be romantically involved after being photographed riding together through the streets of New York City on a BMX bike. The following month, they were seen leaving the Met Gala together, and Tatum confirmed their relationship on Halloween by posting a picture of them wearing a couples costume from Martin Scorsese's iconic 1976 film Taxi Driver on Instagram.
Instagram/@channingtatum
After collaborating on Zoë's directorial debut, Blink Twice, where Channing played a starring role, their relationship blossomed into a full-out romance. Approximately a year later, the Step Up star popped the question.
Because the streets are always watching, PEOPLE reported that Channing joined Zoë in seeing a production of a play by Blink Twice costar Levon Hawke in New York City's Red Hook neighborhood on Oct. 6. Most recently, Kravitz has been seen in public without her engagement ring, notably during an outing with her Big Little Lies co-star Shailene Woodley.
So the news of the split kinda comes as a surprise as we were just oozing over the couple’s undeniable chemistry during their Blink Twice press run in August. Channing and Zoë openly discussed their relationship and collaborated on multiple videos that went viral.
Even proud papa Lenny Kravitz gave his approval. During an interview with BBC’s Radio 2, he said, "He was raised well. So, you know, he’s got manners. He’s charming. He’s a soulful human being. And so, he’s become part of the family quite quickly. He fits and they're in love. We’re going to have a wedding next year."
As we mourn this breakup, let’s run back some memorable moments from the possibly uncoupled pair.
"Art is our love language."
When asked about future collaborations with her boo during the premiere of Blink Twice on Aug. 23, Zoë shared, "I think it's what we love, and we love talking about it, and experiencing it, and supporting each other.” Channing chimed in saying, “This is what I'll say about creating with someone that you are with or love: I suggest it. If you are thinking about having a kid or if you're thinking about getting married, go find the hardest possible creative project with your partner.”
“I got you forever.”
Channing took to Instagram to share an adoring photo of him holding Zoë. He captioned the photo, “This little sweet. She So tired bro. Every time I wondered if she’d break…. She just kept going and going and going. Always on the dig for truth. She pour’d every single ounce of her into this film. I’m so proud to stand ten toes down for her, this film and everyone in it. forever. Knowing what it took to make it. No one will ever know.”
The last line took us out: “Thank you for finding me and seeing me. I got you forever. Me and you back to back against it all. I’ll never blink. Let’s go. #blinktwice”
GOAT Talk
On Complex’s GOAT Talk, a show where stars are prompted to reveal their favorites of all time, Channing and Zoë disclosed their go-to song for singing in the shower, their beloved ad-lib line from Blink Twice, and their stance on conspiracy theories and their favorite rapper. The moment Channing challenged Zoë’s answer that Catwoman is the best superhero of all time was just too cute.
“The Lie Detector determined…”
The cast of Blink Twice underwent Vanity Fair's well-known lie detector test, facing a barrage of probing questions. Among the inquiries were: Did Channing Tatum and Naomi Watts ever irritate Zoë Kravitz during the filming of Blink Twice? Did Naomi ever pilfer anything from the set? Did Channing's portrayal of Gambit in Deadpool & Wolverine surpass his personal expectations?
Best of all were the moments you saw Zoë and Channing look at each other adoringly and when they would finish each other sentences. “We are equally cool,” Zoë beamed.
Puppy Love
The pair hung out with BuzzFeed and a slew of adorable puppies while chatting about their favorite improvised moment on set, who has the best rizz — which is apparently Channing according to Zoë — and their first impressions of each other. Not only did they binge-watch Love Island together but they also boasted they would win Love Is Blind if they were on the show.
The Pressure
Zoë Kravitz recently sat down with Esquirefor an interview and got real about her thoughts on becoming a parent. She shared that she's always kinda thought motherhood might not be her thing. “For a long time, I felt like there was something wrong with me. I was waiting for this light to go off in my head, and it never did. When you’re younger, you’re like, ‘Well, I can’t have kids. I’m too young! It’d be crazy.’”
Her viewpoint on childbirth and parenthood has evolved as she has matured and witnessed the societal pressure placed on women to reproduce. While she recognizes the immense strength and courage required to carry and raise a child, Kravitz believes that women should not be made to feel obligated to do so.
Zoë continued, “For a lot of people that have children, it is this giant, life-changing event – and I do think there is a certain amount of focus and respect that they should get from their community. There’s a lot of pressure on women to have children, and there’s a feeling that if you don’t, you don’t have purpose here.” The director feels a special connection to her new movie akin to giving birth.
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Featured image by Dave Benett/WireImage