Barnett's "A Knock at Midnight" Won a Christopher Award

Dallas, Texas-based author and attorney Brittany K. Barnett has won a Christopher Award for A Knock at Midnight: A Story of Hope, Justice, and Freedom (Crown Publishing/Penguin Random House). It is one of 12 books for adults and young people by 17 authors and illustrators honored as the Awards mark their 72nd year. The authors join creators of 10 winning TV/cable and feature films.

In the book Barnett recalls the reasons she became a lawyer who fights for clemencies, second chances, and humane treatment of prisoners sentenced to life without parole due to racism and unfair drug laws.

The #ChristopherAwards were created in 1949 to celebrate authors, illustrators, writers, producers and directors whose work “affirms the highest values of the human spirit,” and reflects The Christophers' motto, “It’s better to light one candle than to curse the darkness,” said Tony Rossi, director of communications.

Barnett was only a law student when she came across the case of Sharanda Jones, a single mother, business owner, and, like Brittany, Black daughter of the rural South. Sharanda had been torn away from her young daughter and was serving a life sentence without parole—for a first-time drug offense. Barnett was the daughter of a formerly incarcerated mother. As she studied this case, a system came into focus in which widespread racial injustice forms the core of America’s addiction to incarceration. Brittany set to work to gain her freedom. A successful accountant on her way to a high-powered future in corporate law, by day she moved billion-dollar deals, and by night she worked pro bono to free clients, like Sharanda in near hopeless legal battles.

She is an award-winning attorney and entrepreneur focused on social impact investing. 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 received executive clemency from President Barack Obama.

Barnett founded several nonprofits and social enterprises, such as XVI Capital Partners, Milena Reign, the Buried Alive Project, and Girls Embracing Mothers. Their mission is to show the world the impact that formerly incarcerated people can have when they have access to resources not to merely survive, but to thrive. One of her many honors: Being named one of America’s most Outstanding Young Lawyers by the American Bar Association.

She is a graduate of SMU’s Dedman School of Law and holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Accounting. She previously served as the Associate General Counsel at ORIX USA Corporation focusing on mergers & acquisitions and general corporate matters. Prior to her legal career, Brittany earned her license as a Certified Public Accountant and worked for international accounting firm, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP.

The Christophers, a nonprofit founded in 1945 by Maryknoll Father James Keller, is rooted in the Judeo-Christian tradition of service to God and humanity. The ancient Chinese proverb—“It’s better to light one candle than to curse the darkness”— guides its publishing, radio, and awards programs. More information about The Christophers is available at www.christophers.org.