A Knock at Midnight: A Story of Hope, Justice, and Freedom

Brittany K. Barnett is an award-winning attorney who has dedicated her life to criminal justice reform. As the daughter of a formerly incarcerated mother and the once-girlfriend of an abusive drug dealer, Ms. Barnett has felt the far-reaching effects of mass incarceration firsthand. In battling this epidemic that devastates families and ravages communities, she has taken on a roster of clients who are almost exclusively people serving life sentences for federal drug offenses. Her tireless work has freed numerous individuals from overly harsh sentences imposed by draconian federal drug laws, including seven clients who received executive clemency from President Obama. More recently, she was part of the legal team that helped secure clemency from President Trump for Alice Johnson.

In her riveting debut, A Knock at Midnight: A Story of Hope, Justice, and Freedom, Ms. Barnett shares the powerful story of her awakening to the inhumanity of America’s criminal justice system and her ongoing fight to unlock the human potential trapped senselessly behind bars. 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. But it is, at its heart, hopeful, offering a way forward from the painful realities it illuminates.

In addition to her successful law practice, Ms. Barnett is also an entrepreneur focused on social impact investing. 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 has earned many honors, including being named one of America’s most Outstanding Young Lawyers by the American Bar Association.

Ms. Barnett will be interviewed by Jeanne Bishop, assistant public defender in the Cook County Public Defender’s Office and adjunct professor at Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law. Ms. Bishop is the sister of Nancy Bishop Langert, who was murdered in 1990 along with her husband and their unborn baby. Since the murders of her family members, she has been a passionate voice for forgiveness and mercy, particularly in the criminal justice system. 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 Sister’s Killer and the recently released Grace from the Rubble: Two Fathers’ Road to Reconciliation After the Oklahoma City Bombing.

This event suitable for youth 12+

REGISTRATION REQUIRED for all FAN webinar events. This event will be recorded and available later on our website and YouTube channel.

BONUS AFTER-HOURS EVENT: Attendees who purchase a copy of Ms. Barnett’s book A Knock at Midnight from FAN’s 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.

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. Please look for it!