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In this episode, Tara speaks with Brittany Barnett, an attorney and author of A Knock at Midnight: A Story of Hope, Justice, and Freedom. Brittany co-founded the Buried Alive Project and the Manifest Freedom Fund, which work to free people unjustly sentenced under outdated federal drug laws and to support justice-impacted people on their journey to becoming entrepreneurs. Tara and Brittany discuss her book, how she became a lawyer, the story of Sharanda Jones, and fighting for clemency.
A Knock at Midnight: A Story of Hope, Justice, and Freedom
At the beginning of the episode, Brittany provides a synopsis of her book, a memoir of her life story where she addresses the injustice of the courts, genius languishing behind bars, and how the definition of freedom has evolved. Brittany says writing the book was an opportunity to tell the truth about racial injustice in America’s criminal justice system as well as inspire young girls to dream their biggest dream.
Becoming a lawyer
Even growing up, Brittany had always wanted to be a lawyer, but she was discouraged by the lack of representation of women of color in the legal field. Brittany never completely forgot her dream, though. She mentioned her desire to attend law school to a mentor and friend, who encouraged her to pursue her passion. Seeking further guidance, Brittany reached out to Christa Brown-Sanford, a Black female lawyer she had never met. Christa responded, motivating and encouraging Brittany throughout her journey.
Sharanda Jones’ story
While in law school, Brittany discovered Sharanda Jones’ story of incarceration. She took a Critical Race Theory course and chose to write her paper about the disparity in sentencing between powder cocaine and crack cocaine, which has led to a disproportionate number of people of color’s incarceration in federal prison. While researching, Brittany came across Sharanda Jones, a Black, single mother from the South who was serving her tenth year of a life sentence without parole in federal prison. Sharanda had been charged with a federal drug offense, her first ever conviction, that resulted in a natural living death sentence. Sharanda’s story was reminiscent of that of Brittany’s own family, so she decided to contact Sharanda and fight for her freedom.
Clemency and Brittany’s nonprofit work
Brittany was practicing corporate law and working pro bono at night on Sharanda’s case. She eventually found that the only route to Sharanda’s freedom was through clemency granted by the President of the United States. Brittany discusses the six-year journey it took to achieve clemency for Sharanda. Since then, Brittany has left her corporate law job, launched a nonprofit, and helped ten other clients receive clemency. With Sharanda and another client, Corey Jones, she co-founded the Buried Alive Project, which works to free people unjustly sentenced under outdated federal drug laws. She also started the Manifest Freedom Fund, under the umbrella of Buried Alive, which invests in justice-impacted entrepreneurs to help build sustainable liberation.
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