For Kimberly Speights, life wasn’t always about ministry, purpose, or community transformation. Before becoming the fierce advocate, spiritual leader, and Executive Director she is today, Kimberly endured a storm of abuse—physical, emotional, and sexual. “I led a life of destruction filled with heartache and pain,” she shares. Caught in a dangerous game of materialism, she turned to a notorious drug dealer in Birmingham to fill the void. “I ultimately turned my mind, will, emotions, and intellect over,” she admits. But God had other plans. “After living a life of turmoil, I received the opportunity to turn my life around, allow God to save my covenant, and reposition me! I went from living a life of dangerous, disastrous dysfunction to a life of purpose and destiny!”
Today, she’s married to her best friend, Eldred III, and they have two adult children, Kory Jordan and Faith Evelyn. Kimberly serves as Executive Director of The Community Kitchens of Birmingham, where hot meals are served daily to anyone who’s hungry. She’s also pursuing her PhD in Community Health Promotion at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. But even as she leads in powerful ways, Kimberly’s story continues to be her greatest ministry.
“When I surrendered my life to Christ, I wanted to know why God saved me,” she recalls. “Why am I still alive?” In prayer, God gave her an answer that rocked her to her core—go back to Kingston, the very community she once helped to destroy. “Really God?” she asked. His answer? A firm and faithful yes. “It was nothing like I imagined,” she remembers. “The girls and women were really needing to hear something they could relate to and how I overcame… I had to let them know, it was nobody BUT GOD!”
That obedience led her to write From Dangerous Disastrous Dysfunction to Destiny, a bold and unapologetic autobiography. “I literally bare my soul, leaving no stone unturned,” she says. “Through the pages of my book and the power of my voice, I stand as a testament to the extraordinary strength of the human spirit.” Chapter 2 was the hardest to write. “I dealt with so many emotions… I was afraid, embarrassed, and hurt,” she confesses. “But I knew what God told me to do, so I pressed forward and wrote.”
Ministering across the country has been part of her healing journey—and a catalyst for others. “Ministering at the Sisters In Christ Conference in Georgia was the most impactful, God-moving experience!” But it was a moment after speaking at New Covenant Church in Gadsden, Alabama, that stays with her. “A mother came rushing up to me and said she had to get home and apologize to her daughter. She didn’t want to die today knowing things were a mess. She wanted to make it right, that night.” That’s the power of Kimberly’s testimony—raw, redemptive, and real.
Her ministry and advocacy are inseparable. “My first gift is intercession,” she says. And when it comes to serving people living in poverty, Kimberly is clear: “If I didn’t stay in prayer… folk would get Kim from Kingston (LOL)!” She’s called to love people where they are—and often, they end up asking about the God she serves. “I don’t carry my Bible with me, but I carry the Word in my heart.”
Of all the awards she’s received—from She Leads Alabama to the NAACP’s Community Service Medal—one in particular struck her spirit. “The NAACP medal is personal because I didn’t ask for it, I didn’t apply for it. I was literally working in Kingston, doing what God called me to do, and I got an envelope in the mail… I cried like a baby. I do it because I’ve been where the people I serve are.”
To the woman still climbing out of dysfunction, Kimberly offers this: “There is absolutely nothing you can do that will make God love you any less! Get you an accountability partner… switch playgrounds and playmates! Connect with women that are connected to God and want to see you do better.”
She stays spiritually grounded through prayer, wise mentorship, and something she calls “brain breaks”—a monthly disconnect from everything and everyone. When life gets heavy, she turns to We Need the Glory by Micah Stampley and the Word—especially Psalm 84:11, which she’s even placed in her shoes. Sermons by her pastor, Rev. Rodney Standfield, and Dr. Jamal H. Bryant keep her inspired. “Dr. Bryant is such an amazing advocate for the underserved, which is why I’m drawn to his voice.”
And if you ask her what her dream job is? She’s living it. “Advocacy is my dream job,” she says. “I love being a voice for those who feel voiceless or misunderstood.”
In true WOW! fashion, Kimberly closes with this encouragement: “When you earnestly pursue a relationship with God and stay committed to Him, your eyes haven’t seen, your ears haven’t heard, it hasn’t even entered into your heart, the awesome, perfected, overwhelming, door opening, ceiling shattering, grace filled things God has in store for you! Whatever you do, be honest in your seek.”
Candie A. Mitchell-Price is the Founder/Editor-in-Chief of WOW! (Women of the Word) Magazine. Candie is a writer, educator, and a passionate advocate for spiritual growth. Through her work, Candie aims to encourage, inspire, empower, and educate others toward a closer walk with Jesus Christ, sharing her journey and faith with authenticity and love. She serves alongside her husband, Rev. Arthur Price, Jr., pastor of the historic 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, AL. They are the proud parents of two adult daughters.
