The punishment she received was more than fair. Also she didn’t finish the paper, violated dorm rules, and played a part in a murder on campus so she isn’t entitled to the degree.
The service work conversation was very on point. Also I believe she didn’t have a deep connection to the community bc she was constantly going back and forth from Harvard to Harlem.
1 hour 8 mins in, and I'd like to say I've been 18 for 2 months and I know what a floppy disk is. I did not think, as a child, that would be something I'd have to be proud of but ayy. Also love this conversation thank you for sharing your story, (you sound like a lit person to work with and know). But seriously it's motivating me to keep on reading. Theres a chance I have a mild dyslexia (imagine my uni wont pay to get me tested properly) and when I stop reading for a while, it sucks to get back into it ( am I acc gonna survive 3 years of uni???), because , I really want to know my stuff: history and the hidden facts of today. Like if racism is an issue in the UK, why is it more evident in America, like how sneaky is it the UK??
This conversation slightly reminds me of a disagreement me and my husband had. My husband asked me a hypothetical question about me paying to get him out of jail with a 5 million dollar bail. All my assets equal 4.8 million and I would have to do lord knows what to get the last bit. The thing is he's my ex husband now in this question.
He's thinking: I'm a black man and jail is hell on earth. I need to be saved from this destructive system immediately "if you really loved me".
but I'm thinking: What the hell did you do to get a 5 million dollar bail!? You weren't thinking of me when you were making them moves that put you in jail! What's the crime? What's my postion in life? Will this effect my life in more detrimental ways? Why are you my ex husband…was it cause you wouldn't stop doing illegal things? Was the divorce messy?
What would y'all do?
Idk if I can ride or die like that yet. I think there is no way I would have been able to do what she did for a boyfriend
Bright side of getting older: you and your contemporaries have never had the idea, urge, or compulsion to consume a Tide Pod in an ever more desperate quest for substance-less internet fame. So there’s that…LOL!😂
Instead; if you’re Kim, you’ve taken the intellect God gave you, and have offered the digital world (and all that lies beyond it) something that will edify and be of just as much value in 20 or 50 years as it is today—purposeful intellectualism advancing the causes of justice, equality, and basic human dignity for ALL people…a veritable prophetess in an age of scorn, ignorance, callousness, casual and calculated cruelty, and childish abandonment of all better judgement.
Indeed Kim, you have been called for just such a time as this, and you are one of several strong and progressive voices across social media that I deeply enjoy listening to—people who are using their respective platforms to change the world for the better—one video and commentary at a time.
Keep up the great work—you are one who is continually renewing my faith in humanity and in our shared future. I really hope you get your own show someday on a VERY visible stage, and that America will be ready to listen! I pray for that day.🌹
I’m 51 minutes in and I would love to hear this woman’s opinion about how all these elite white people had to cheat their way in to get into these universities and their lack of sentencing.
I remember Brittany's story from Fatal Attraction (I think). I am so happy and proud of her. I'm so glad she was able to rise. Thank you for your fantastic interview! 💜
Love you, your content, and how you are using your platform. Really looking forward to what you have in store. Not sure if you’ve heard of it but there is a podcast called Decarcerated. The host and his guests have all done bids and they talk about the before, during, and after. The New Jim Crow really ignited something in me and I’m so glad that more people are talking about these very important stories. Props to Brittany for sharing her story. She went through a lot and came out on the other side. We can not underestimate how difficult that is.
Thank you very much for sharing your story, I can only imagine how emotionally challenging this may have been for you. I can only say, that you will always retain your worth before the eyes of God, when you are sharing the truth, no matter what you have done, and this I can say for fact. I am glad to hear you are enjoying your position! You earned it! 🙂 Thank you for sharing and giving me the opportunity to consider something beyond my own experience.
I don't care to hear any of this woman's story at all. She is only out and about because she LUCKILY did not get a white boy killed. Denise Cosby and her attorney pushed for life imprisonment. While I believe that is harsh, 3 years is not enough. And for her to be parading around talking about people being punished after incarceration like she didnt go to a rich private school and HARVARD only to flush her life down a toilet cuz of some stupid BOYFRIEND who sold drugs that was shacked up with her in her dorm??? TUH! If the man that had died had been white she would still be paying penance behind bars.
This is especially sickening because she lied to officers. She hid the murder weapon. Hid her boyfriend and his friends and subsequently committed multiple crimes with no show of remorse. Idk why she is telling this story and glossing over the severity of the actions. I would not hire her. She is a liar. I would not work with her. I would not want her advocating for me. I'm glad she had enough privilege to get by though. It's not deserved.
Another barrier (among many) that being poor presents is after you've scrambled to muster up the money you owe at the end of every semester–what often happened to me is that I'd always be the last to register for classes meaning I never got to actually choose classes that mattered and made the most sense for me; and it also wasn't rare to register so late (due to money issues) that the semester will have already started 1 or 2 weeks earlier, meaning I've missed sometimes even the first 4 classes of a course!
I LOVED THIS!!!! I really can relate to the whole traveling between two worlds thing! It was very disorienting to me. For other students the university campus was culturally just a continuation of where they came from and for which they had been anticipating/preparing for years. But coming from a totally different socio-economic background (poor, disadvantaged, first gen, etc.) it was hard to acclimate and it was also tough reconciling the two worlds when I'd visit or commute back and forth from home. Every time it felt like Dorothy being whisked away back to Oz or Kansas. And I definitely remember being around other black peers (who were in the minority) and still feeling that sense of extreme disconnect and isolation (due to class). I'm glad she had a strong family support system b/c at least
This was so interesting…I really can't believe that she couldn't get her degree! But I agree that anyone could end up in jail or prison. I wouldn't say that you're "one mistake away" but life is so so complex. There are definitely some people who don't deserve rehabilitation and deserve to be in a cage. But people who commit nonviolent crimes being mixed with heinous criminals makes NO sense.
I feel like that pertinent information on her involvement in the situation wasn’t fully connected for the audience (me), & I would have liked to see more. It seemed disrespectful and deceptive to us. Seems like she just glossed it over like it was no big deal when someone lost their life.
Honesty, there are enough black people in "service work." –We need far more black American people in other fields, like corporate law, Investment banking, chemistry, medicine, dentistry, tech and engineering.
Awesome content i am familiar with her story but it was so good to get to know her a bit, and im so happy she rebounded from her past, and then lent her life experience to advocacy what a phenomenal Black women. Home-run Kim !!! Living with intent and Legacy!
Painting Britney as an innocent woman who was wronged by the white system and glossing over the fact that she deliberately hid and abetted a murderer is dangerous to black women. Britney states herself she couldn’t adjust to Harvard due to her upbringing and she brought that into the kind of men she was dating. This is a recurrent issue that black women face. Black women are the most educated group in America and we are similarly likely to escape poverty at the same rate as white women; the only thing that separates us? Our choice in men. These are legitimate statistics. Black women must give up this ride or die mentality or it will keep us in financial ruins for generations to come.
Kim thank you for doing this interview. We do disagree about one thing-whether or not Brittanys punishment was appropriate for the crime. Do you remember that young white kid who earlier this years his Harvard admission was withdrawn for using the N word? Remember you said people need to face consequences for their actions? I sympathize with Brittany. She was young and she deserved the opportunity to rehabilitate but the punishment she received was not inappropriate or excessive. An innocent 21 year old died. Imagine if that was your younger brother. According to the Boston globe: “She let the three men gather in her dorm room and load the firearm in front of her before the attempted robbery took place, the records stated.” She also gave her boyfriend her keycard to get access to the area where the victim was staying knowing he was taking a loaded gun to attempt to rob him.
“And after the fatal shooting, Smith took and hid the murder weapon in a neighbor’s bedroom, helped the men escape to New York City, and returned to Harvard the next day when she lied to police investigating the killing,”. An expulsion was not inappropriate considering what happened here. 2.5 years in jail was not inappropriate considering someone died because gave the shooter and his friends access and space to commit the crime knowing what they were going to do.
If the report in the Boston globe is incorrect please feel free to correct me. But we are doing a great disservice to each other when we do not hold people accountable for their decisions just because they are black.
This was an amazing interview. Kudos my darling. Yes as A Bostonian. I definitely relate to the remarks regarding Massachusetts and segregation, and being a progressive state. Whooo Chile that is a conversation that needs to be had.
While I feel this is an important conversation and I have empathy for Brittany’s situation ( we were all young and dumb at some point in our lives), does no one else see the irony that she is a Harvard student but couldn’t come up with a better lie than to pretend she didn’t know the killer at all, hide the weapon in such an obvious place, and aid in the getaway (and be caught on camera doing so). Im not trying to be mean but I have questions. I can understand book smarts versus street smarts, but this girl had both. Still I am glad to hear she is in a better space these days and utilizing her past experience for good.
Really loved this interview. Made me do my own research on this case and was surprised to see similar stories of educated black women ruining their lives dealing with criminals and just men they should not even be associating with period, BUT there are a few things about this case that I feel should be shared: 1) the victim was not a Harvard student; he was in fact another drug dealer in the area who used to do deals with Chaniqua (the other girl who was implicated and expelled). This in no way justifies his death, but I saw a few comments saying he was a student at harvard who was not able to graduate 2) Brittany was offered a nonprosecution agreement where she would tell EVERYTHING to avoid being charged (the other girl Chaniqua, her friend, who actually played a bigger role than her in the robbery turned murder, took the agreement and was not charged but was also expelled) Brittany kept lying/was not 100% truthful about her role, so the prosecution took that agreement away and charged her
I feel like she jumped over exactly what happened and at times played the role of a complete victim in this interview. Yes, she was young and dumb, but she was also aware of what her actions would cause and I feel like race has NOTHING to do with her getting expelled. If this was a white student, would we be advocating for them to get their degree still? Students get expelled for less (plagiarism, petty theft, etc). In the end there are A LOT of lessons that can be taken from this. I am happy she was able to turn her loss into a success story.
?????? This person is full of it. She was doing wrong and got caught up. Do i feel for her? Yep. I think a majority of women would do what she did. She had a horrible lawyer and got time and snubbed for her degree. She could help so many college females by coming forth and warning them about the pitfalls of having relationships with people from the underworld.
Im glad she is doing well. My heart still goes to her. I know she was embarrassed about GETTING CAUGHT and got caught up in a relationship she thought was loving but wasnt. And i hope she takes better care of herself physically.
Glad I didn't know her story going in because her story is eye opening, had me really engaged… Also there really wasn't any reason to deny her the degree she worked hard to earn
Wow. Brittany Smith is so strong 💯 she deserves happiness in her life I mean not handing her, her papers Harvard what a crappy institution and it’s true what she said about drug culture drugs are everywhere there is no escaping it. 💯😘
My favorite video of yours, so good! I just started a grad program at an Ivy League and I've been going through it and it's reassuring to hear Brittany talk about the same imposter like feeling not just at ones school but in ones home. I also loved that you talked about black excellence and how it can actually be quite elitist and not what we should be doing. I felt that. A very powerful conversation!
I really loved this conversation. Thank you for having her on and thank you Brittany for sharing your story. I learned some new things and it opened my eyes to a different perspective on this issue
Get the audio-only version of this interview and my patron's-only q&a with Brittany on Patreon. Patreon.com/ForHarriet
The punishment she received was more than fair. Also she didn’t finish the paper, violated dorm rules, and played a part in a murder on campus so she isn’t entitled to the degree.
HOW WE JUST GONE GLOSS OVER THE FACT THAT SHE PLAYED A PART IN A MURDER. Wtf Kimberly
The service work conversation was very on point. Also I believe she didn’t have a deep connection to the community bc she was constantly going back and forth from Harvard to Harlem.
1 hour 8 mins in, and I'd like to say I've been 18 for 2 months and I know what a floppy disk is. I did not think, as a child, that would be something I'd have to be proud of but ayy.
Also love this conversation thank you for sharing your story, (you sound like a lit person to work with and know). But seriously it's motivating me to keep on reading. Theres a chance I have a mild dyslexia (imagine my uni wont pay to get me tested properly) and when I stop reading for a while, it sucks to get back into it ( am I acc gonna survive 3 years of uni???), because , I really want to know my stuff: history and the hidden facts of today. Like if racism is an issue in the UK, why is it more evident in America, like how sneaky is it the UK??
This conversation slightly reminds me of a disagreement me and my husband had. My husband asked me a hypothetical question about me paying to get him out of jail with a 5 million dollar bail. All my assets equal 4.8 million and I would have to do lord knows what to get the last bit. The thing is he's my ex husband now in this question.
He's thinking: I'm a black man and jail is hell on earth. I need to be saved from this destructive system immediately "if you really loved me".
but I'm thinking: What the hell did you do to get a 5 million dollar bail!? You weren't thinking of me when you were making them moves that put you in jail! What's the crime? What's my postion in life? Will this effect my life in more detrimental ways? Why are you my ex husband…was it cause you wouldn't stop doing illegal things? Was the divorce messy?
What would y'all do?
Idk if I can ride or die like that yet. I think there is no way I would have been able to do what she did for a boyfriend
Bright side of getting older: you and your contemporaries have never had the idea, urge, or compulsion to consume a Tide Pod in an ever more desperate quest for substance-less internet fame. So there’s that…LOL!😂
Instead; if you’re Kim, you’ve taken the intellect God gave you, and have offered the digital world (and all that lies beyond it) something that will edify and be of just as much value in 20 or 50 years as it is today—purposeful intellectualism advancing the causes of justice, equality, and basic human dignity for ALL people…a veritable prophetess in an age of scorn, ignorance, callousness, casual and calculated cruelty, and childish abandonment of all better judgement.
Indeed Kim, you have been called for just such a time as this, and you are one of several strong and progressive voices across social media that I deeply enjoy listening to—people who are using their respective platforms to change the world for the better—one video and commentary at a time.
Keep up the great work—you are one who is continually renewing my faith in humanity and in our shared future. I really hope you get your own show someday on a VERY visible stage, and that America will be ready to listen! I pray for that day.🌹
Ok, BLAZER. You two are so lovely!
I’m 51 minutes in and I would love to hear this woman’s opinion about how all these elite white people had to cheat their way in to get into these universities and their lack of sentencing.
I just came to see if you will offer a review of the movie Harriet
I remember Brittany's story from Fatal Attraction (I think). I am so happy and proud of her. I'm so glad she was able to rise. Thank you for your fantastic interview! 💜
Love you, your content, and how you are using your platform. Really looking forward to what you have in store. Not sure if you’ve heard of it but there is a podcast called Decarcerated. The host and his guests have all done bids and they talk about the before, during, and after. The New Jim Crow really ignited something in me and I’m so glad that more people are talking about these very important stories. Props to Brittany for sharing her story. She went through a lot and came out on the other side. We can not underestimate how difficult that is.
Thank you very much for sharing your story, I can only imagine how emotionally challenging this may have been for you. I can only say, that you will always retain your worth before the eyes of God, when you are sharing the truth, no matter what you have done, and this I can say for fact. I am glad to hear you are enjoying your position! You earned it! 🙂 Thank you for sharing and giving me the opportunity to consider something beyond my own experience.
Ummm you guys hiring? 😉
🤤
Thank you ladies for sharing!
I really appreciated this video Kim. Thank you for shining more light on prison abolition on your platform here.
Brava👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽 Bravah👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽BRAVAHHH👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽💐💐💕💕💯💯💯✊🏽✊🏽✊🏽
I don't care to hear any of this woman's story at all. She is only out and about because she LUCKILY did not get a white boy killed. Denise Cosby and her attorney pushed for life imprisonment. While I believe that is harsh, 3 years is not enough. And for her to be parading around talking about people being punished after incarceration like she didnt go to a rich private school and HARVARD only to flush her life down a toilet cuz of some stupid BOYFRIEND who sold drugs that was shacked up with her in her dorm??? TUH! If the man that had died had been white she would still be paying penance behind bars.
This is especially sickening because she lied to officers. She hid the murder weapon. Hid her boyfriend and his friends and subsequently committed multiple crimes with no show of remorse. Idk why she is telling this story and glossing over the severity of the actions. I would not hire her. She is a liar. I would not work with her. I would not want her advocating for me. I'm glad she had enough privilege to get by though. It's not deserved.
Another barrier (among many) that being poor presents is after you've scrambled to muster up the money you owe at the end of every semester–what often happened to me is that I'd always be the last to register for classes meaning I never got to actually choose classes that mattered and made the most sense for me; and it also wasn't rare to register so late (due to money issues) that the semester will have already started 1 or 2 weeks earlier, meaning I've missed sometimes even the first 4 classes of a course!
I LOVED THIS!!!! I really can relate to the whole traveling between two worlds thing! It was very disorienting to me. For other students the university campus was culturally just a continuation of where they came from and for which they had been anticipating/preparing for years. But coming from a totally different socio-economic background (poor, disadvantaged, first gen, etc.) it was hard to acclimate and it was also tough reconciling the two worlds when I'd visit or commute back and forth from home. Every time it felt like Dorothy being whisked away back to Oz or Kansas. And I definitely remember being around other black peers (who were in the minority) and still feeling that sense of extreme disconnect and isolation (due to class). I'm glad she had a strong family support system b/c at least
My friend is a single women no kids… In social work and make 80k plus a year. Depending on where you live that's a ton of money
Amazing interview!! Wow
This was so interesting…I really can't believe that she couldn't get her degree! But I agree that anyone could end up in jail or prison. I wouldn't say that you're "one mistake away" but life is so so complex. There are definitely some people who don't deserve rehabilitation and deserve to be in a cage. But people who commit nonviolent crimes being mixed with heinous criminals makes NO sense.
Thank you for this interview, it was really well done. I liked that you let her speak so freely. And I love the suit!
Extremely informative, Kim legend
The elitism and classism in some of these comments. Wow.
I held off on watching because I thought it was too long but this was so enjoyable! Thanks, Kim.
I feel like that pertinent information on her involvement in the situation wasn’t fully connected for the audience (me), & I would have liked to see more. It seemed disrespectful and deceptive to us. Seems like she just glossed it over like it was no big deal when someone lost their life.
Honesty, there are enough black people in "service work." –We need far more black American people in other fields, like corporate law, Investment banking, chemistry, medicine, dentistry, tech and engineering.
Wonderful interview
Awesome content i am familiar with her story but it was so good to get to know her a bit, and im so happy she rebounded from her past, and then lent her life experience to advocacy what a phenomenal Black women. Home-run Kim !!! Living with intent and Legacy!
GREAT Interview!
The hair is so pretty 🌺
Painting Britney as an innocent woman who was wronged by the white system and glossing over the fact that she deliberately hid and abetted a murderer is dangerous to black women.
Britney states herself she couldn’t adjust to Harvard due to her upbringing and she brought that into the kind of men she was dating. This is a recurrent issue that black women face. Black women are the most educated group in America and we are similarly likely to escape poverty at the same rate as white women; the only thing that separates us? Our choice in men. These are legitimate statistics. Black women must give up this ride or die mentality or it will keep us in financial ruins for generations to come.
Kim thank you for doing this interview. We do disagree about one thing-whether or not Brittanys punishment was appropriate for the crime.
Do you remember that young white kid who earlier this years his Harvard admission was withdrawn for using the N word? Remember you said people need to face consequences for their actions?
I sympathize with Brittany. She was young and she deserved the opportunity to rehabilitate but the punishment she received was not inappropriate or excessive. An innocent 21 year old died. Imagine if that was your younger brother. According to the Boston globe:
“She let the three men gather in her dorm room and load the firearm in front of her before the attempted robbery took place, the records stated.”
She also gave her boyfriend her keycard to get access to the area where the victim was staying knowing he was taking a loaded gun to attempt to rob him.
“And after the fatal shooting, Smith took and hid the murder weapon in a neighbor’s bedroom, helped the men escape to New York City, and returned to Harvard the next day when she lied to police investigating the killing,”.
An expulsion was not inappropriate considering what happened here. 2.5 years in jail was not inappropriate considering someone died because gave the shooter and his friends access and space to commit the crime knowing what they were going to do.
If the report in the Boston globe is incorrect please feel free to correct me.
But we are doing a great disservice to each other when we do not hold people accountable for their decisions just because they are black.
When you look at joh bene Ramsey the mother protected her son after her daughter death.
This was an amazing interview. Kudos my darling. Yes as A Bostonian. I definitely relate to the remarks regarding Massachusetts and segregation, and being a progressive state. Whooo Chile that is a conversation that needs to be had.
Frightening story, so pleased that despite everything some good will come out of this horrific experience.
While I feel this is an important conversation and I have empathy for Brittany’s situation ( we were all young and dumb at some point in our lives), does no one else see the irony that she is a Harvard student but couldn’t come up with a better lie than to pretend she didn’t know the killer at all, hide the weapon in such an obvious place, and aid in the getaway (and be caught on camera doing so). Im not trying to be mean but I have questions. I can understand book smarts versus street smarts, but this girl had both. Still I am glad to hear she is in a better space these days and utilizing her past experience for good.
She had the nerve to apply the analogy of an enslaved woman having her son taken away to herself….The irony is not lost on me
Really loved this interview. Made me do my own research on this case and was surprised to see similar stories of educated black women ruining their lives dealing with criminals and just men they should not even be associating with period, BUT there are a few things about this case that I feel should be shared:
1) the victim was not a Harvard student; he was in fact another drug dealer in the area who used to do deals with Chaniqua (the other girl who was implicated and expelled). This in no way justifies his death, but I saw a few comments saying he was a student at harvard who was not able to graduate
2) Brittany was offered a nonprosecution agreement where she would tell EVERYTHING to avoid being charged (the other girl Chaniqua, her friend, who actually played a bigger role than her in the robbery turned murder, took the agreement and was not charged but was also expelled)
Brittany kept lying/was not 100% truthful about her role, so the prosecution took that agreement away and charged her
I feel like she jumped over exactly what happened and at times played the role of a complete victim in this interview. Yes, she was young and dumb, but she was also aware of what her actions would cause and I feel like race has NOTHING to do with her getting expelled. If this was a white student, would we be advocating for them to get their degree still? Students get expelled for less (plagiarism, petty theft, etc). In the end there are A LOT of lessons that can be taken from this. I am happy she was able to turn her loss into a success story.
You look so good and love how in tune and present you are in the interview 💝💝
?????? This person is full of it. She was doing wrong and got caught up. Do i feel for her? Yep. I think a majority of women would do what she did. She had a horrible lawyer and got time and snubbed for her degree. She could help so many college females by coming forth and warning them about the pitfalls of having relationships with people from the underworld.
Im glad she is doing well. My heart still goes to her. I know she was embarrassed about GETTING CAUGHT and got caught up in a relationship she thought was loving but wasnt. And i hope she takes better care of herself physically.
Glad I didn't know her story going in because her story is eye opening, had me really engaged… Also there really wasn't any reason to deny her the degree she worked hard to earn
It’s not a coincidence that her mom was a convict and her too. I would like to know if she thinks there’s a connection.
signal boost
Wow. Brittany Smith is so strong 💯 she deserves happiness in her life I mean not handing her, her papers Harvard what a crappy institution and it’s true what she said about drug culture drugs are everywhere there is no escaping it. 💯😘
My favorite video of yours, so good! I just started a grad program at an Ivy League and I've been going through it and it's reassuring to hear Brittany talk about the same imposter like feeling not just at ones school but in ones home. I also loved that you talked about black excellence and how it can actually be quite elitist and not what we should be doing. I felt that. A very powerful conversation!
Thoroughly enjoyed this. I might just have to slide over to Patreon 🙌🏾
I really loved this conversation. Thank you for having her on and thank you Brittany for sharing your story. I learned some new things and it opened my eyes to a different perspective on this issue