SOUTHAVEN, Miss. — Alice Marie Johnson on the go since she got out of federal prison not just readjusting to life after spending more than 20 years behind bars on drug charges but also living in the national spotlight.
Johnson said she’s grateful for her new role and opportunity.
“My life is really, its not my own anymore,” Johnson said. “My life is intertwined now with the lives of others who are still locked up.”
In the public eye for the last few weeks, the 63-year-old admits she’s surprised by all the attention.
“The only thing I wanted to do is be free. The only thing I wanted to do was come home and be with my family. I never thought that God would give me a platform like this,” Johnson said.
A platform she credits to reality star and makeup mogul Kim Kardashian West, who discovered Johnson’s story after reading an article she saw on Twitter, taking her case to the White House.
The two finally met in person a few days ago, here in the Memphis area.
“It was like, finally! This day, both of us I think we screamed, ‘it was like you’re here!’ It was a scream, we didn’t have anything scripted,” Johnson said.
To Johnson it was like seeing an old friend.
“She was takin’ pictures with my family, we were chatting, she called Kanye up and I was able to speak with him and it was wonderful,” Johnson said.
Johnson says without Kardashian-West’s involvement she knows she would still be in prison.
“This was a divine moment, it was divine intervention,” Johnson said.
When asked about all the others still locked up she said there is still hope.
“I would say, you can never give up hope. They may not have a Kim Kardashian but they have an Alice Johnson, an Alice Marie Johnson that will be fighting for them and magnifying all of their situations.’
Johnson says her thank you to those who believe in her will be the way she lives her life, the person who beats all odds, with a goal to change how people perceive prisoners.
“I would like to be sitting down with the powers that be, that can make changes, I can see myself speaking to members of Congress, the Senate, elected officials, urging them to get behind this cause,” Johnson said when asked where she sees herself months from now.
Johnson also credits her family for their support. She is looking forward to starting a job, watching some of her grandchildren grow up and celebrating her first holiday out of prison the Fourth of July.
