Criminal defense attorney Brittany Barnett promotes entrepreneurial freedom

For years, corporate attorney and criminal defense attorney Brittany Barnett has tried to help people involved in the criminal justice system find freedom, but the never-ending caseload and the fact that her clients had to return to a life of poverty after serving their sentences have exhausted her.

Although the landscape of second chances at hiring is slowly changing (read our editorial on how DFW companies and leaders are pushing for criminal justice reform here), many of those released from prison have no realistic prospects of finding work and may return to a life of crime. And those who dream of starting their own business often lack the social or financial capital to make it a reality.

Faced with this problem, Barnett decided to leverage her knowledge of financial and corporate law (she is a former deputy general counsel at ORIX USA Corp.) and her passion for criminal justice.

“I wanted to invest in people and potential,” she says. “I envision a world where the impact of the criminal justice system does not determine an individual's potential, where creativity and innovation flourish. Many people don't have that freedom.”

To fulfill her mission, she founded Manifest Freedom, a nonprofit with three focuses: economic justice, advocacy, and narrative change. Part of the organization is a fund that invests in justice-impacted entrepreneurs; to date, it has donated nearly $600,000 in grants to 14 new business owners.

Barnett hopes to raise about $2.5 million for additional investment. The goal is to enable people to start their own businesses and reduce recidivism rates. “We spend $80 billion a year of taxpayer money on mass incarceration,” she says. “Think about reallocating some of those funds to entrepreneurship.”

In addition to an average grant of $40,000, the organization also works with business owners to provide training or to connect aspiring entrepreneurs with resources they may need to run their businesses. The organization also works with the families of those affected by the justice system.

Barnett says the organization finds potential fellows through her network. “Through the fellowship, we give them access to an ecosystem of advisors, industry experts and resources to prioritize healing,” she says. “After they survive a system that strips them of their humanity, we give them a community of other entrepreneurs.”

Sharanda Jones has had enough

When Sharanda Jones' mother was paralyzed in a car accident, she felt obligated as the eldest daughter to step in and began cooking for her family under her mother's guidance. “She let me be her hands,” Jones says. She spent days preparing meals for her family and eventually founded her restaurant in Terrell.

But in the late 1990s, Jones was arrested in a raid after acquaintances testified that she had previously supplied them with drugs. She was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison without parole. After ten years, she met Barnett, who spent six years working pro bono for Jones' release, which plays a major role in Barnett's bestselling memoir. A knock at midnight.

While incarcerated, Jones didn't let others know she was allowed to cook until she got tired of seeing what the kitchen staff was serving up. “One day I told them to let me do some of the cooking,” Jones says. “After that, they stopped cooking.”

After Jones' release, Barnett stayed in touch and eventually told her about the Manifest Freedom Fund. The former inmate was the first recipient of a grant and used the capital to convert an old mail truck into a food truck business called Fed Up.

The eatery serves burgers and other dishes that made it a popular Terrell spot decades ago. For lunch, Fed Up can be found on Wednesdays and Thursdays at the intersection of 310 and Great Trinity Forest Way.

“The scholarship enables me to realize my dreams and the support [Barnett] “I've gained confidence and been able to achieve all the dreams I had while incarcerated,” says Jones. “Now I can live them. The extra money helps me be the person I am.”

For Barnett, the fund is a way to continue making a difference without constantly battling with the criminal justice system. She is motivated to be able to use her corporate and financial experience and network to support those who can benefit. “The fund provides physical and economic freedom and the opportunity to be creative and entrepreneurial,” she says.

Jones still has a day job, but hopes that as her business grows, she will be able to cook full-time and provide jobs to other people affected by the justice system. Her daughter was 7 when she went to prison, and Jones now has a granddaughter the same age.

She says the nonprofit's support and counseling have helped her be an example of redemption for her family and others in her community. “Regardless of my past, I now have the opportunity to show my community something positive,” Jones says. “I can show them and be an example that even in a difficult situation, you can make it.”