Alice Marie Johnson
Alice Johnson has a knack for finding hope in hard circumstances. Even though a terrible mistake cost her everything she knew and loved, Alice still found a way to help and inspire others. From fighting for education and against discrimination, to finding solace in writing poetry, Alice shares how she became a force for change and an advocate for the incarcerated. She also shares her own story of clemency after being taken under the wing of one Ms. Kim Kardashian.
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In this episode:
How a poem opened doors of opportunity.
Life takes a drastic turn after meeting a man with a gambling problem.
Living a double life as a phone mule.
Being found guilty of attempted possession after a six week trial.
Discovering her talent during prison and finding forgiveness.
Creating change within the prison system and gaining massive public recognition.
Being offered representation by Kim Kardashian.
The day Alice is granted clemency and the return to her family.
LINKS & RESOURCES:
Facebook: Alice Marie Johnson
X (Twitter): @AliceMarieFree
Instagram: @alicemariefree
Website & Charity: Taking Action For Good
Book: After Life
Wise Words:
I discovered talent that was unbelievable in prison and the atmosphere started changing in prison. As women started signing up for acting roles, I started choreographing dance ministry and it became a lightness. Culturally, things started changing. Now women who had never heard applause in their life were on stage and people were applauding them and when they finished the plays, they would walk around the compound, not with their heads down, but with their heads up because someone has seen the value in them.
There is such a gift in serving other people that makes you forget about your own problems.
I couldn't think about or feel sorry for myself because I was seeing the results in prison of how change could take place. I looked for opportunities where I could maybe be that light in prison, and it became a lifestyle for me, and I became happy in prison.
Everyone has the ability to do good. If you can do good, just do it.
It became very evident that so many other women were being bound by unforgiveness. And I started ministering to them the freedom of forgiveness. We prayed together, and I started leading them into forgiving everyone in their lives. And that became, I think, free. And for many women, it's not easy. I'm not gonna say everybody walked in unforgiveness, but it made their load lighter. And it really brought healing to my heart.
I know it brought healing to a lot of them because they were rehearsing the same thing over and over, things that they could do nothing about. The person who was an object of their unforgiveness wasn't feeling what they were feeling. That was one of the things that I told them, that you have all of these emotions that have you in misery, and these people have gone on.
They're living lives. They don't care if you forgive them or not, but it's hurting you. You are the one who's being harmed.
One gift that was given to all of us was an opportunity to find forgiveness within ourselves and maybe into the harm that we may have done to other people.
How do you tell a woman not to hope? How do you tell a person not to prepare for a future?
And my daughter says to me, mama, what if it's Kim Kardashian? And I said, Kim, who? She said, “You don't know who Kim Kardashian is?” And I said, “No. Who is that?” I'd heard the Kardashian name before during the OJ Simpson trial, but I didn't know who Kim Kardashian was.
Two days later I found out that it was Kim Kardashian and when that video started blowing up on the internet and they told me it had gone viral, it scared me to death. I thought I had introduced a virus into the internet.
I felt very confident that if anyone ever really delved into my case, and didn't just read what the newspapers are saying, they could see who I am as a human being. Yes, I had made a terrible mistake that I'd taken full responsibility for, but it did not warrant the rest of my life being in prison.
From the time that I ran across that road into freedom, I have not stopped running. I've been running to help change laws. I've been running to help people gain their freedom. I could not just get comfortable in my own freedom. I made a promise that I wouldn't stop fighting for them, and I have not.
I could not take my second chance for granted. So one of the things that I feel very committed to is to continue to highlight the stories of people who've made good of their second chance.
I think my story is a story for anyone who has found themselves in a hard place in life and maybe wish they could have a redo, but they can't have a redo.
But they can still look past darkness and see where there's light at the end of the tunnel. Because I'm not even supposed to be on this podcast today. I'm supposed to be locked up in a prison at this moment, getting ready for a standup count, but instead, I'm here talking with you today.