You know, it just shows that we have a lot more work to do, said Barnett. More inside. Girls Embracing Mothers was born from my experience of having a mother incarcerated, Barnett said. 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. Brittany is founder of a series of nonprofits and social enterprises, including the Buried Alive Project, Girls Embracing Mothers, the Manifest Freedom Fund, and Milena Reign LLC. Her tirelesswork hasfreednumerous individuals from overly harsh sentences imposed by draconian federal drug laws, including seven clients who received executive clemency from President Obama. 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. Barnett ultimately ditched a career in corporate law to represent nonviolent drug offenders full-time. These are nonviolent drug offenses. Her organization has received funding and endorsement from television personality Kim Kardashian. Arrest numbers spiked. Education is definitely key and there are local grassroots organizations people can find in their area that focus on transforming the criminal justice system that can help them get involved locally. Barnett has worked to get 11 clients freed from federal prison through presidential clemency or presidential pardon in the past six years. When Barnett was 22, her mother, a crack cocaine addict, was arrested and sent to prison for eight years. Brittany K. Barnett is an attorney and entrepreneur. I wanted it to shine in a way that hasnt been done. Dallas, TX 75204-2335. But the two administrations were quite different. And it looks different here. But it is, at its heart, hopeful, offering a way forward from the painful realities it illuminates. My clients sold drugs. Theres something we all can do to help make a difference, just by finding what speaks to our hearts. Emily McCullar is a senior editor covering pop culture, news, and Texas history. How do I get to economic liberation? Im proud to say Im an investor in Sharandas food truck, and Im really excited about helping launch more projects just like that one. I felt an obligation to be in those boardrooms as a Black woman to help pave the way for others. 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. TSA officers confiscated more than 6,542 firearms from passengers in 2022 the highest number recorded since the agencys inception. Thats what we need more in this world, more love, more compassion, said Young. 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm, 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm. [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. Thanks to Attorney Brittany K. Barnett and her team of civil rights lawyers, Young is free. Last summer, Kim Kardashian West received tons of praise for . A vision of sustainable liberation for justice-impacted people. Have you picked up a copy of the October 2022 yet? [9], Barnett is the founder of Buried Alive, a criminal justice reform advocacy organization that she co-founded with former clients Sharanda Jones and Corey Jacobs. Thousands have had their lives changed due to her selflessness in meeting the needs of those in Prison. TM: Out of all the people youve helped, what stories affected you the most? Its clear; the data will show you that answer is no. In Barnetts words, this was the doors unlocked, windows wide open part of Texas. [1] 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. He said one of the first things he would like to see reformed are mandatory minimums and penalties should be set on a case-by-case basis. July 19, 2021 While Kim Kardashian West has been getting credit for her "efforts" in prison reform, these are the ladies actually putting in the work. [13] Commentary on her involvement ranged from praise, to assertions that it was a public relations stunt, to accusations that she was taking the credit for work she did not do. Dan Solomon writes about politics, music, food, sports, criminal justice, health care, film, and business. [2] She recounts that as a little girl, she wanted to be a lawyer like Clair Huxtable, a character on The Cosby Show, but had lost that dream by high school because there were no lawyers in her rural East Texas community, and certainly no black women lawyers. TM: What needs to change in our criminal justice system, and what needs to change about prisons specifically? her net worth has been growing significantly in 2021-2022. 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. Yes, she is a global superstar, but this was another person a part of the team. The freedom journey doesn't end when someone is released from prison. In 90 days TWO black women lawyers freed SEVENTEEN people from LIFE W/O PAROLE sentences - the second most severe penalty permitted by law in America. All we had was Just Say No, which created this culture of, If you do drugs, its your fault. Commerce. Mass incarceration is, to me, the most pressing civil rights issue of our time. In Bogota, where my grandparents lived, opioids and meth have taken over. We havent seen enough of that during this pandemic, and thats incredibly heartbreaking. But Im not playing those games anymore. Texas Footballs Greatest Rivalry Will ReturnBut at What Cost? But its always mind-blowing to me how little people really know about how the system works, because its so overwhelming. She was going to die in prison. When the crack epidemic hit, it wasnt treated like a public health crisis. Check out this Octobers living the dream featur. 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. Barnett is from Texas. Anifa Mvuemba, Wikipedia, Bio, Age, Husband, Net Worth, Hanifa. What kind of impact do you see that having culturally and on society in general? Fulbright. Named after the purest love Brittany has ever known, her grandmother Lena, Milena Reign cultivates content and talent from two special groups: (1) those directly impacted by the criminal justice system and (2) those from Brittany's beloved South - helping them lean into their gifts of storytelling to inspire the world. Ms. Barnett will be interviewed by Jeanne Bishop, assistant public defender in the Cook County Public Defenders Office and adjunct professor at Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law. Her Dallas-based nonprofit, works to free those who are eligible for release, but have been left in prison under outdated Reagan-era laws. Brittany K. Barnett travels from Dallas, TX Similar Speakers More recently, she was part of the legal team that helped secure clemency from President Trump for Alice Johnson. 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. A friend named Keyon got life without parole after being named as an accomplice by alleged dealers arrested in a police raid. Marijuana Venture: What was the process like for you writing A Knock at Midnight? As far as prisons go, they have to release people. But you also need to free people while youre working to change policy, because people cant wait. Bogota. That organization is based in Dallas and we work to empower girls whose mothers are in prison. Through the organization, Barkent has been able to fight for clemency for prisoners like Alice Johnson and by 2020 the organization had successfully litigated more than 40 people. Also, help by voting and getting involved in not just national elections, but local elections that have a huge impact as well. She was just a rural East Texas girl with a big, supportive extended family and few cares in the world. Chris Young said he plans on working with Barnett on other justice reform projects in the future. This event will be recorded and available later on our website and YouTube channel. While I was working to free them, they were freeing me, too. Thanks to Attorney Brittany K. Barnett and her team of civil rights lawyers, Young is free. [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. Ms. Barnett will be interviewed by Jeanne Bishop. As I was writing, I started to wonder, Do we ever really process this? I hope readers of my book will see that the true loss of mass incarceration is not just the lives stolen by injustice, but the beauty and brilliance that each incarcerated person might have contributed to this country. The Dallas Cowboys Used to Sell NFL Dynasties. Young, now 32, was in jail 10 years, one month and 10 days. Leave them blank to get signed up. Through her criminal justice work, Brittany has encountered some of the most brilliant minds humanity has to offer. With Young now out of prison, he plans to work closely with Barnett and former judge Sharp to help others they say are buried alive.. She has founded several nonprofits and social enterprises, such as the Buried Alive Project, Girls Embracing Mothers, XVI Capital Partners, and Milena Reign LLC. She was set to never breathe free air again, and she was the one encouraging me. Questions about the accreditation of Southern University and A&M College may be directed in writing to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, GA 30033-4097, by calling (404) 679-4500, or by using information available on SACSCOCs website (www.sacscoc.org). 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. Ive always felt the heartbeat of the people behind bars, but writing the book really gave me that time to be, like, wow, this country is locking up the very ingenuity our nation needs to thrive. The first step for policymakers and decision makers is to acknowledge that its been an utter failure. Ms. Bishop appears in several documentaries, two TEDx talks, and the CBS 48 Hours segment Road to Redemption. She is the author of a memoir, Change of Heart: Justice, Mercy and Making Peace with My Sisters Killer and the recently released Grace from the Rubble: Two Fathers Road to Reconciliation After the Oklahoma City Bombing. 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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. 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. His doors are never unlocked. It wasnt the stereotype you hear about with gang wars and rioting. MV: What made you ultimately decide to leave corporate law and focus on working to free people who were incarcerated? She was set to never breathe free air again, and she was the one encouraging me. Her mother was a crack cocaine addict. She is dedicated to transforming the criminal justice system and has won freedom for numerous clients serving life sentences for federal drug offenses-seven of whom who received executive clemency from President Barack Obama. Ms. Bishop is the sister of Nancy Bishop Langert, who was murdered in 1990 along with her husband and their unborn baby. She was arrested and sentenced to 8 years in prison for failing to attain sobriety during probation. In addition to her successful law practice, Ms. Barnett is also an entrepreneur focused on social impact investing. Barnett was on the legal team of Alice Marie Johnson, a woman who was serving the 21st year a life sentence for nonviolent drug offenses. She added to her education by studying for another Juris Doctor in law at Southern Methodist University. Despite being sentenced to life in prison with no parole, he says he never gave up hope that he would be free one day. Cody and Barnett are two parts of The Decarceration Collective, whose mission is to release non-violent offenders, unjustly imprisoned due to harsh and cruel drug laws. These Lawyers Are Trying to Change That", "Pusha T launches criminal reform campaign Third Strike Coming Home", "The Injustice Deep Within the Justice System", "5 books not to miss: Jane Fonda writes about climate change, plus new Chuck Palahniuk", "Obama adds to historic number of federal prisoners granted clemency", "How a first crack cocaine offense led to a life sentence", "Meet Trenton Copeland, Who Sees Obama as Last Shot to Leave Prison", "Obama grants final 330 commutations to nonviolent drug offenders", "Trump has commuted the life sentence of Alice Marie Johnson, a woman whose case was championed by Kim Kardashian", "President Trump Commutes Sentence of Alice Marie Johnson", "How Jared Kushner, Kim Kardashian West and Congress drove the criminal justice overhaul", "New Friends New Life Announces 2020 ProtectHER Award Recipients Natalie Nanasi and Brittany K. 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. This was bigger than Kim Kardashian. A lot of the pushback we get is we dont fund direct services. Southern University Law Center is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award baccalaureate, masters, and doctorate degrees. 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. In Sharanda, Brittany saw haunting echoes of her own life, as the daughter of a formerly incarcerated mother. Brittany K. Barnett. Brittany is founder of several nonprofits and social enterprises, including the Buried Alive Project, Girls Embracing Mothers, XVI Capital Partners, and Milena Reign LLC. Thats how we can begin to change hearts and minds. His windows are never open. But you also need to free people while youre working to change policy, because people cant wait. I was witnessing mass incarceration at its height and could not help but be affected.. Theyre serving life sentences today under yesterdays drug laws, so Im hoping we take several more steps toward restoring a sense of fairness that should be at the heart of the criminal legal system. [3], Multiple clients of Barnett took advantage of the clemency initiative President Obama and former Attorney General Eric Holder began in 2014. Before she specialized in getting people out of prison, Brittany K. Barnett was a young girl living in a wooden house in Fulbright, 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. Institutional Accountability & Accreditation, Office of Innovation & Strategic Partnerships and Initiatives, 2 Roosevelt Steptoe Dr.| Baton Rouge, LA 70813, Office of Equity, Inclusion, and Title IX, Consumer Information (ABA Required Disclosures). Since 2016, Barnett has earned freedom for 53 incarcerated people. The Photo the Dallas Cowboys Never Wanted the Public to See, Nolan Ryan Threw as Hard as He Could for as Long as He Could. I love East Texas. Northwestern University School of Education and Social Policy, Regina Dominican College Preparatory High School, The Family Institute at Northwestern University. In Bogota, where my grandparents lived, opioids and meth have taken over. [7] After submitting her paper, Jones's case plagued Barnett, and she wrote to Jones offering her assistance; the women began corresponding through email. More empathy, whether it be just in the judicial system or whether it be in every area of hospitality.. 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. After her masters, she became an associate attorney at Winstead PC, focusing on corporate finance. Even with all of that, I still love East Texas. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. 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. Right now Im working on sustainable liberation. There are so many forms of trauma I never realized were happening to me, my family and my community. [22] As a liaison between a cocaine dealer and a supplier, Sharanda Jones was charged with "drug conspiracy" in August 1999. 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. 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. Barnett embarked on her childhood dreams by joining the University of Houston Law Center where she did a Juris Doctor in law. [24] Copeland was one of 330 commutations the president granted on his last day in office. And thats the beautiful part of our journey. More than 30 people were arrested. 1718 Sherman Ave., Ste. [25] In response, Barnett said, "I was overjoyed when I received the call from Pardon Attorney Robert Zauzmer telling me the President had granted clemency to my client, Trenton Copeland, who was being buried alive under an unduly harsh sentence of life without parole for a nonviolent drug offense. Company: Buried Alive Project. Marijuana Venture is the leading B2B monthly publication for the cannabis industry. Here we are updating just estimated networth of Brittany K. Barnett salary, income and assets. [26] The Obama administration denied her petition for clemency in January 2017, however, after separate meetings with Kardashian West and her husband, Kanye West,[27] President Donald Trump commuted Johnson's sentence. Absolutely. [11], In early 2019, Barnett and MiAngel Cody (founder of and lead counsel for The Decarceration Collective law office & consultancy) started the 90 Days to Freedom campaign, a push to release nonviolent drug offenders from life sentences. As I was writing, I started to wonder, Do we ever really process this? But Im not playing those games anymore. President Obama granted more clemencies than all modern-day presidents combined. 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. Only two of us. 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. After submitting her paper, Joness case plagued Barnett, and she wrote to Jones offering her assistance; the women began corresponding through email. He made a [23] The witnesses in her trial consisted of fellow drug offenders who testified in exchange for lighter sentences. Brittany K. is a phenomenal celebrity influencer. BKB: The war on drugs is still in full throttle, and that has to change. AMAZON EDITORS' PICK FOR THE BEST BOOK OF 2020. While Kim Kardashian West made headlines and was praised for helping get these 17 prisoners released from prison (she did lend her money and star power), it was really the tireless dedication and uncountable hours of Brittany and MiAngel that got these prisoners released.
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