Why Celebrities Are Rallying Behind Cyntoia Brown, a Woman Spending Life in Prison | The New York Times

[dropcap]Cyntoia[/dropcap] Brown, who has spent the past 13 years in prison, had no idea that she would suddenly gain the public support of an A-list parade of celebrities on Tuesday. [mc4wp_form id=”6042″]

Rihanna. LeBron James. Snoop Dogg. Cara Delevingne. Kim Kardashian West.

These were among the major figures to use their colossal social media followings to advocate freeing Ms. Brown, 29, who her lawyer says was a victim of sex trafficking. She was just 16 when she killed a man who had hired her as a prostitute.

Ms. Brown’s case had attracted attention in Nashville, and she was the subject of a 2011 PBS documentary, but she had gotten little broader notice until the social media onslaught on Tuesday. It was unclear what prompted it, though a local TV station, Fox 17, reported on the case last week.

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The National Museum of African American History and Culture is the only national museum devoted exclusively to the documentation of African American life, history, and culture. It was established by Act of Congress in 2003, following decades of efforts to promote and highlight the contributions of African Americans. To date, the Museum has collected more than 36,000 artifacts and nearly 100,000 individuals have become charter members. The Museum opened to the public on September 24, 2016, as the 19th and newest museum of the Smithsonian Institution. (Website).

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