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Platform or Privilege: What Kim K. Visiting Trump for Prison Reform really says

Kim Kardashian West recently took to DC, heading to the White House to speak to y'alls President about "prison reform".

After the meeting (and a few awkward, yet meme-able photo ops, the most hilarious being this one here.), Kim emerged from the meeting with a victorious clemency for 63-year-old Alice Johnson, a mother and grandmother who was serving a life sentence for a first-time, nonviolent drug offense.

Cool. I guess. I guess I should be a little more excited about all of this than I am, but there are a few different things hampering my elation. Hear me out.

While this is amazing for Alice and I am personally very happy she received clemency, it bothers me greatly that it took a white woman, let alone a Kardashian, to head to the White House under this hateful administration for justice to be served.


True, I will give credit to Kim for (finally) using her platform for some social good.

However, there are right now as we speak, thousands upon thousands of People of Color in the justice system right now who have been given unfair sentences and don't have access to any celebrities.

I am not the only one who sees this as startling.

Also, while Kim did use her own power, platform, privilege and influence to make a difference in Alice's case and life, this victory takes away from the light that needs to be shed upon daily struggle of Black activists who have been engaged in cases, like Alice's and countless others, but go unheard.

In addition, there are still a group of us who, especially following the Twitter feud and lack of support from Kim or her husband for the organization he founded formerly called Donda's House, and a myriad of other times when Kim and the rest of the KJKlan shamefully appropriated or otherwise sought to steal from Black culture for their own gain, make us quite wary of the true intent of anything she does.
And, given the recent release of Kanye's latest EP (albums have more than 30 minutes of music, y'all) it is fair to ask of this was all a publicity stunt to return to some good graces of people who were very angered, hurt, confused, or placed in danger by Kanye's rash and ignored statements.

To be honest, I would not be surprised. What would have surprised me is if Kim had maybe rounded up actual activists working on Alice's and others behalf and then took to the White House. Or if she along with other celebrities who happen to be People of Color created a White House summit.

But all of that would diminish her shine as the great white savior of those po' jailed up negros. And Donald's for being relevant to even be in the presence of a head Kardashian.

Let's get real: There probably have been numerous attempts by activists, by community organizers, and probably even Black celebrities to engage this administration of justice and prison reform or on behalf of people like Alice, but we won't ever hear about those attempts. However, let a Kardashian take a break from nude selfies, appetite suppressant lollipops, and their daily appropriation of culture to stroke the ego of your president and my God, for the whole day, that's all you're going to see on your feeds.

So while I am grateful and celebratory for Alice's clemency, I still side eye the medium by which it has come. This situation reminds us that we must ask deeper questions of our justice system, like why was a woman, like Alice Johnson, was even sentenced to life in prison for a nonviolent, first time drug offense? And how many others are currently serving unfair sentences for minor crimes? And, how many of those people of color are serving for crimes that their white counterparts may be only serving a fraction of the time for or are on probation for?

All of these are reasons why I cannot fully celebrate this triumph. Motives, like Black Lives, really do matter.


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