Her background was not all that pleasing as she was a victim of poor parenting. I decided there was nothing more urgent than freedom. This work has been her focus since then. Marijuana Venture: What was the process like for you writing A Knock at Midnight? "[20] USA Today included it on its list of 5 books not to miss for the week of September 5, 2020. "[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. I always knew that I was going to get Chris Young free. 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. MV: How did the United States as a country get to where were at right now, with 1,300 to 1,500 people serving life in prison for drug crimes? When Barnett was 22, her mother, a crack cocaine addict, was arrested and sent to prison for eight years. Bogota. As I was writing, I started to wonder, Do we ever really process this? There were times when she missed the clemency list, and I couldnt even get out of bed. U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, American Bar Association's Young Lawyer Division, "GIRLS EMBRACING MOTHERS Brittany Byrd '09", "Meet the Kim Kardashian-backed 'women warriors' who free people from life sentences", "PricewaterhouseCoopers Company - 27050 Employees - US Staff", "Good Works Under 40 honors top Dallas community volunteers", "Non-violent drug sentencing has left thousands of people buried alive in prison", "Sens. In January, with a presidential grant of clemency,that dream became a reality. BKB: I think one of the ways they can help bring justice is to educate themselves about the law and how the system works, whether through reading my book or other books like Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson or The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander or even watching Ava DuVernays amazing documentary called 13th on Netflix. Its lost some of its innocence. Now They Sell Drama. [4], December 4, 2018, Senator Dick Durbin and Senator Chuck Grassley held a forum on pending criminal justice legislation. Heres What We Want at the Park. But it came to a point for me where I was getting very heavily involved in President Obamas clemency initiative and there were only about 10 months left of him in office, and I just wanted to do all that I could to help get people free. [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. [2] Barnett credits her mother's own incarceration with teaching her that persons in prison were often treated as "unworthy of any compassion or concern. This dream, however, had faded by the time she was in high school because there was no lawyer to look up to in her home area. She shares stories of the innovation languishing in America's prisons -- and a vision for investing in people whose unjust sentences . She has earned many honors, including being named one of Americas most Outstanding Young Lawyers by the American Bar Association. Despite growing evidence in the missing Ana Walshe case, attorney Duncan Levin said this is the opposite of a perfect murder.. Have you picked up a copy of the October 2022 yet? We work to empower them to break the cycle of incarceration and lead successful lives.. 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Commerce. From Fulbright to the White House, the beautifully written, often haunting A Knock at Midnight charts how Barnett started her fight against draconian drug sentencesand how her work is only just beginning. His windows are never open. Young, now 32, was in jail 10 years, one month and 10 days. BKB: Absolutely. Dallas, TX 75204-2335. [5][6] When Barnett was 22, her mother was sentenced to eight years for failing a series of drug tests while on probation. I encourage anyone with even a drop of interest in this topic to visit a prison, to visit people in prison, and they can do that through their local organizations. 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. Then, the war on drugs commenced. [2], On June 19, 2019, Barnett and Cody launched the Third Strike Project, which focuses on a separate provision of the First Step Act that allows inmates convicted in crack cocaine cases to retroactively be eligible for consideration to receive reduced sentences. Whenever I think of it, I think of family. The program aimed at helping girls reduce the trauma of having a parent in prison and giving them hope for a better life. [18] On August 29, 2019, rapper Pusha T released the song "Coming Home" with singer Lauryn Hill to bring awareness to the Third Strike Project. After submitting her paper, Joness case plagued Barnett, and she wrote to Jones offering her assistance; the women began corresponding through email. 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. Criminal justice reform is popular right now, its fashionable. After her masters, she became an associate attorney at Winstead PC, focusing on corporate finance. Thats what we need more in this world, more love, more compassion, said Young. With Sharps support,a major win followed for Young. She was arrested and sentenced to 8 years in prison for failing to attain sobriety during probation. 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. Founded in 2014. I wanted it to shine in a way that hasnt been done. In the book, you see the positivity of Sharanda Jones (a woman from Terrell). Here we are updating just estimated networth of Brittany K. Barnett salary, income and assets. Thanks to Attorney Brittany K. Barnett and her team of civil rights lawyers, Young is free. Sometimes we can be one-dimensional in how we create change, and I want to be a part of change that isnt just about capital or policy. Even as the legal cannabis industry continues to spread across the country, thousands of Americans remain imprisoned for doing the things that today are considered business instead of crime. All we had was Just Say No, which created this culture of, If you do drugs, its your fault. And we did. A decorated attorney and activist, Brittany K. Barnett has been named one of America's most Outstanding Young Lawyers by the American Bar Association, and was on the 2019 list of Essence's "Woke 100." Contact us to learn more about booking Brittany K. Barnett for your next event. In many ways, it begins. In 2019, Buried Alive nabbed headlines for freeing 17 people in ninety days and receiving vocal support from Kim Kardashian West. Election: Two stepping forward, three stepping back, Lies of All Sizes: The story of Justin Costellos $35 million fraud, California companies debut new Scratch n Sniff stickers on packaging, Federal and provincial governments announce $7.5 million fund for indigenous cannabis. We havent seen enough of that during this pandemic, and thats incredibly heartbreaking. 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? But as you see in the book, the war on drugs was hitting us hard, and as a kid, that was hard to see. Brittany K. is a phenomenal celebrity influencer. Her organization has received funding and endorsement from television personality Kim Kardashian. [12] In a Facebook post from May 7, Barnett commented on the divisive and underfunded nature of the "criminal justice reform space," adding "Kim linked arms with us to support us when foundations turned us down. Moved by Sharanda's plight, Brittany set to work to gain her freedom. [26] The White House released a statement, saying "While this Administration will always be very tough on crime, it believes that those who have paid their debt to society and worked hard to better themselves while in prison deserve a second chance. Fortunately, my mom found it within herself to become sober in prison, but it was in spite of being incarcerated, not because of it. Associate professor of philosophy at the University of San Diego, Professor of psychology, George Mason University, and bestselling author, Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, director of the Center for Psychodynamic Therapy and Research at Massachusetts General Hospital, co-director of the Harvard Study of Adult Development, and co-founder of the Lifespan Research Foundation, William Henry Bloomberg Professor of the Practice of Public Leadership at the Harvard Kennedy School and Professor of Management Practice at the Harvard Business School, Professor of Psychology, University of California at Berkeley, Faculty Director of the Greater Good Science Center, and bestselling author, Author of the #1 New York Times bestselling books Quiet and Bittersweet. Many took a plea deal which meant serving 14 years in jail. BKB: No, it hasnt changed. BONUS AFTER-HOURS EVENT: Attendees who purchase a copy of Ms. Barnetts book A Knock at Midnight from FANs partner bookseller The Book Stall are invited to attend an AFTER-HOURS event hosted by Ms. Barnett and Ms. Bishop that will start immediately after the webinar. Her organization has received funding and endorsement from television personality Kim Kardashian West. Her background was not all that pleasing as she was a victim of poor parenting. But then it gave me a chance to reflect on just how brilliant my clients are. [7] While in law school, Barnett completed internships with the Honorable Nancy F. Atlas in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas and with the Honorable Rene H. Toliver in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas. Fulbright. Note: The link to register for the AFTER-HOURS will appear in red font at the top of your email receipt from The Book Stall. Was that always your intention when you set out to write a memoir? 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. Age: 37. 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. author. MV: How can how can people get involved and help bring justice to people serving unfair prison sentences? Find the area youre passionate about and make a difference that way. Practice Areas: None Reported By Attorney. President Obama granted more clemencies than all modern-day presidents combined. She grew up in an environment close to drug culture. Gun safety and children: Are free locks enough? She then went to Winstead PC in the Finance & Banking Practice Group. She was set to never breathe free air again, and she was the one encouraging me. They are responsible. That was before her mother fell. "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. Its much more subtle, and even though you dont hear about it on the news, families are still being destroyed. Dan Solomon writes about politics, music, food, sports, criminal justice, health care, film, and business. Brittany has had an influence across the country for her life-saving work. She has earned many honors, including being named one of Americas most Outstanding Young Lawyers by the American Bar Association. [7], In 2016, she stopped practicing corporate law and began to take the cases of nonviolent drug offenders full-time, taking advantage of a policy under President Barack Obama's administration that came to be known as the clemency initiative. And I was in prison in my mind and my neighborhood before I went to prison, said Young. But shed be telling me to get back to work, telling me we could do this, that we could get her free. I was thinking about the opioid epidemic, too, and how its being treated as a public health crisis, and rightfully so. While researching a paper on how race impacted sentencing for her Critical Race Theory class, she came across the case of Sharanda Jones, a woman who had been sentenced to life without parole for a first-time, non-violent drug offense. My sentence legally made me not be able to get released from the custody of the BOP until I was pronounced deceased. They have to let people go home if they meet the criteria. He was the perfect example of what bothered me about the job, Sharp said. Brittany K. Barnett & MiAngel Cody are two black female lawyers working hard behind-the-scenes to free non-violent offenders who have been buried alive with massive prison sentences. Many of them were family. Leave them blank to get signed up. Barnett has worked to get 11 clients freed from federal prison through presidential clemency or presidential pardon in the past six years. REGISTRATION REQUIREDfor all FAN webinar events. Since the murders of her family members, she has been a passionate voice for forgiveness and mercy, particularly in the criminal justice system. Mass incarceration is, to me, the most pressing civil rights issue of our time. With every freedom we secure, were pushing forward a movement of people and power and dignity that is going to have a ripple effect on anyone they may positively impact in the future.. I knew my mom had a drug problem, but I didnt realize she had a disease. Barnet endeavors to show the world that once-incarcerated people can thrive and succeed in life once they have access to resources. She advocated for President Donald Trump to help get Young out of jail. In Barnetts words, this was the doors unlocked, windows wide open part of Texas. TM: In A Knock at Midnight, you talk about how writing letters to your mother in prison helped you process what you were feeling about her incarceration. A friend named Keyon got life without parole after being named as an accomplice by alleged dealers arrested in a police raid. Growing up, Barnet wanted to be a lawyer. 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. Thousands have had their lives changed due to her selflessness in meeting the needs of those in Prison. Soon enough, the war on drugs reached that wooden house in Fulbright. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. His story made national headlines and the media attention caught the eye of Barnett. I think of it, I started to wonder, do we ever really process?... 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