[3] Sierra Crane Murdoch of The New York Times said the book "unfurls like a coming-of-age story," but said that "her depictions of her mother are flat, distant. [2], Miss USA 2019, Cheslie Kryst, was a complex litigation attorney. Her background was not all that pleasing as she was a victim of poor parenting. BKB: The war on drugs is still in full throttle, and that has to change. Do we ever have the resources to process what its like to be kids on the front lines of the war on drugs?. BKB: The transition was one of a lot of uncertainty. Since 2016, Barnett has earned freedom for 53 incarcerated people. And I looked at the bright side, and I stayed optimistic.. Weve gotten by without help before, and we can keep doing what were doing if the help comes or not. Through herprogram, Buried Alive she fights to free people serving sentences handed down on federal drug laws. Brittany K. Barnettis an award-winning attorney who has dedicated her life to criminal justice reform. TM: Out of all the people youve helped, what stories affected you the most? East Texas is my home. In January, with a presidential grant of clemency,that dream became a reality. I made the decision to resign, and through President Obamas clemency initiative, I had seven clients receive clemency. Note: Event start time is Central Time (CT). "All of my clients were serving time in federal prison under outdated federal drug laws and so I've had 7 clients who received clemency under President Obama and four clients over Donald Trump," Barnett said. Federal Judge Kevin Sharp sentenced him to two lifelong terms in prison without parole on a nonviolent drug charge. Thats part of why I wrote the book: to show what its like to grow up Black in Texas. She is dedicated to transforming the criminal justice system and has won freedom for numerous people serving fundamental death sentences for federal drug offenses - including seven clients who received executive clemency from President Barack Obama. MV: What takes up the bulk of your time right now? In the book, you see the positivity of Sharanda Jones (a woman from Terrell). At once a coming-of-age story and a powerful evocation of what it takes to bring hope and justice to a system built to resist both at every turn, A Knock at Midnight lays bare the dire human costs of our broken legal system. I tell everyone: find the area that youre most passionate about, whether its bail reform, whether its marijuana justice, whether its sentencing reform or parole and probation. I just want to tell people that humanity is one of the greatest creations and is one of the greatest species. And its not just trauma inflicted on my sister and me because of my moms addiction; it was trauma inflicted on my mom because she was criminalized. After two years, Barnett and her team made a major discovery. Most people think of prisoners as people unworthy of compassion or love. Milena Reign helps people lean into their gifts of storytelling to inspire the world. There are so many forms of trauma I never realized were happening to me, my family and my community. MV: Obviously, the inauguration of President Joe Biden probably brings back some uncertainty, but what are your early thoughts about how the Biden administration will impact criminal justice reform? Brittany K. Barnett is a best-selling author, attorney and entrepreneur who thrives at the intersection of hope, justice and freedom. The -born attorney and criminal justice reform advocate expert is arguably the worlds most influential Brittany K. Barnett is expert, with a wide-ranging social media outreach. The first step for policymakers and decision makers is to acknowledge that its been an utter failure. Barnett is from Texas. Theyve each left their fingerprints on my soul. I Wrote a Book Called The Leopard Is Loose. Then a Leopard Got Loose in Dallas. This interview has been edited for clarity and length. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. Through her recently published memoir, A Knock at Midnight, Brittany K. Barnett takes readers inside the U.S. criminal justice system and shows the devastating effects of the War on Drugs, both from the perspective of the daughter of a woman who was once incarcerated and that of a successful civil rights lawyer. In 2017, Sharp stepped down from his life-appointed position toreturnto work for criminal justice reformas a civil rights attorney. [19], Barnett's book A Knock at Midnight: A Story of Hope, Justice, and Freedom was released on September 8, 2020. Forrest Wilder writes about politics and the outdoors. In Barnetts words, this was the doors unlocked, windows wide open part of Texas. She advocated for President Donald Trump to help get Young out of jail. His story made national headlines and the media attention caught the eye of Barnett. And its all because of these misguided appeals for law and order under this failed War on Drugs. Its much more subtle, and even though you dont hear about it on the news, families are still being destroyed. [7] She later came across the similar case of Donal Clark, who was serving a 30-year sentence for a first-time, non-violent drug offense. A vision of sustainable liberation for justice-impacted people. In 2019, Buried Alive nabbed headlines for freeing 17 people in ninety days and receiving vocal support from Kim Kardashian West. In Bogota, where my grandparents lived, opioids and meth have taken over. We didnt know how the Trump administration was going to treat criminal justice issues or prioritize criminal justice issues, but I am blessed to have been a part of the legal team for Alice Johnson, who was one of the first people to receive clemency from Donald Trump. 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Barnett", "Kim Kardashian Joins Prison Reform Attorneys in the Fight to Free Nonviolent Drug Offenders", "In remembering her own mother, activist and attorney makes Mother's Day plea for incarcerated women", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Brittany_K._Barnett&oldid=1104086781, 2013 National Outstanding Young Lawyer Award, Finalist , 2013 Outstanding Young Lawyer of Texas Texas Young Lawyers Association, 2013 Outstanding Young Lawyer of Dallas Dallas Association of Young Lawyers, 2020 ProtectHER Award New Friends New Life, This page was last edited on 12 August 2022, at 15:18. Barnett ultimately ditched a career in corporate law to represent nonviolent drug offenders full-time. Emily McCullar is a senior editor covering pop culture, news, and Texas history. As the daughter of a formerly incarcerated mother, Brittany knows first-hand the impact of mass incarceration is far-reaching, devastating families and entire communities. Texass Most Venomous Caterpillar, Texass First Nonalcoholic Bottle Shop Reflects the Shifting Culture Around Drinking. Brittany K. Barnett is an award-winning attorney and entrepreneur focused on social impact investing. Together with her former clients, Sharanda Jones and Corey Jacobs, Barnett founded Buried Alive, a nonprofit organization that battled federal drug laws that unjustly imprisoned people. Commerce. And its not just trauma inflicted on my sister and me because of my moms addiction; it was trauma inflicted on my mom because she was criminalized. Learn How much net worth Brittany K. is in this year and how she spend her expenses? They are helping shift the paradigm and helping change the narrative on how people look at formerly incarcerated people, Barnett says. That organization is based in Dallas and we work to empower girls whose mothers are in prison. Some of the most brilliant people Ive met in my life are my clients. The only thing these decision makers will respond to is stories of mothers and daughters and fathers and sons. And I would be remiss not to say that financial resources are always needed to get more people free and break more chains. with lot of social media fan she often posts many personal photos and videos to interact with her huge fan base social media plateform. Yes, she is a global superstar, but this was another person a part of the team. Barnet was born on February 24, 1984. She is dedicated to transforming the criminal justice system and has won freedom for numerous people serving fundamental death sentences for federal drug offenses including seven clients who received executive clemency from President Barack Obama. Required fields are marked *. She started working as an Audit Associate at Price water house cooper where she worked with clients to ensure compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. BKB: The culprit was the 1986 Anti-Drug Abuse Act that implemented this 100-to-1 sentencing ratio between crack and powder cocaine that punished crack much more severely and implemented mandatory minimums. There are so many forms of trauma I never realized were happening to me, my family and my community. Absolutely. As I was writing, I started to wonder, Do we ever really process this? The light at the end of the tunnel just became really, really bright, said Barnett. It used to be that doors unlocked, windows wide open part of Texas I talk about in the book, but I know my dad, for example, is always in fear of having his home broken into. And thats the beautiful part of our journey. Im hopeful that we see a push to go beyond the First Step Act of 2018 and move on to the second, third, fourth and fifth step, starting with retroactivity and some of the laws that were changed. We work to empower them to break the cycle of incarceration and lead successful lives.. What now? She claims that laws in the United States unjustly put some people in prison whereas better systems would be used to improve their lives. New prisons sprang up across Texas and the country. 3400 Oak Grove Ave Ste 370. The program works to empower girls with mothers in prison. 2023 Family Action Network. Unfortunately, it was too familiar to me. Through the organization Buried Alive, which she co-founded with Sharanda Jones and Corey Jacobs, she came to national attention when she and her co-counsel, MiAngel Cody, litigated the release of 17 people in 90 days. She was going to die in prison. What did you learn about yourself as you were writing this book? Do we ever have the resources to process what its like to be kids on the front lines of the war on drugs?. Investigators charged the Tennessee native for his role during a drug trafficking sting. The lack of funding has been extremely frustrating, because were really trying to save lives, and were struggling for funding. I realized that we had uncovered a huge issue in his case as it related to ineffective assistance of counsel as it related to his plea negotiation, Barnett said. her net worth has been growing significantly in 2021-2022. The Buried Alive Project works to dismantle life without parole sentences handed down under federal drug laws. Microsoft is just one of several tech giants cutting its workforce to deal with new economic realities. She wrote a best-selling book, A Knock at Midnight: A Story of Hope, Justice, and Freedom, which she hopes will open a window for the world to see that her clients are human beings just like any other. And I wrote the book to recognize the people. Thats part of why I wrote the book: to show what its like to grow up Black in Texas. She has also earned honors and awards. Barnett is from Texas. She was arrested and sentenced to 8 years in prison for failing to attain sobriety during probation. Brittany K. Barnett is an award-winning attorney and entrepreneur focused on social impact investing. This was bigger than Kim Kardashian. Barnett is also in the process of launching a venture capital fund to ensure formerly incarcerated people have access to capital and resources so they can have what she calls life after life.. I think all the time, How do I bridge the gap for my clients? It seemed like an accepted part of life, like, This is just the way it is. It wasnt until I got to college that I realized how powerful it was. There were times when she missed the clemency list, and I couldnt even get out of bed. Policies at the time allowed the judge to add "enhancements" to her sentence, including her legal license to carry a concealed weapon credited as "furtherance of drug conspiracy," her testimony in her own defense credited as "obstruction of justice," and weight conversion of powder cocaine to crack cocaine (which carried higher sentences). "[22], Trenton Copeland was profiled in Rolling Stone magazine for his petition for clemency to President Obama after receiving a life sentence for three nonviolent drug offenses. [9] She is also a board member of the ORIX Foundation. I decided there was nothing more urgent than freedom. Family Action Network (FAN) is a 501(c)(3) organization that curates a high-quality speaker series each academic year. In court, Sharp said Young did not deserve his fate. And daughters and fathers and sons the eye of Barnett book Called the Leopard is Loose to life! So many forms of trauma I never realized were happening to me, my family and my community my. That pleasing as she was arrested and sentenced to 8 years in prison whereas better systems be. Through herprogram, Buried Alive she fights to free people serving sentences handed down under federal drug laws poor! To inspire the world and entrepreneur focused on social impact investing utter.. 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