Today we’d like to introduce you to Brittany Barnett.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
A defining moment in my life can be attributed to a 7-digit number. 1374671. This number was assigned to my mother by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice when she began serving an 8-year prison sentence. But the significance of these 7-digits is much greater than an inmate number given my mother.
This number sparked a heightened sense of empathy and compassion in me I never knew I had. This 7-digit number and the experience of having a mother in prison was the gateway to Girls Embracing Mothers (GEM), a non-profit organization I founded dedicated to empowering girls with mothers in prison to break the cycle of incarceration and lead successful lives with vision and purpose.
Even though I was a young adult at the time, experiencing the incarceration of my mom was extremely difficult. Yet, notwithstanding my own experiences, even more, heartfelt were my observations of younger girls during visitation and their interactions with their mothers. Evidencing the strength of the mother-daughter bond was the way the young girls would gaze into their mothers’ eyes and hug them tightly. To them, the women they were visiting were much more than a 7-digit inmate number. These women were their mothers. And the love is unconditional. And like myself, these young girls loved their mothers no matter what.
I founded GEM while I was a law student at SMU’s Dedman School of Law. I went on build GEM from the ground up while also working long hours at a law firm practicing corporate law. But because GEM was my passion it never felt like “work.” I knew that if I truly wanted to make a difference, I had to make a choice. In 2016, I resigned from my corporate law job to follow my passion for criminal justice reform and take GEM to new heights. Mass incarceration is one of the most pressing societal issues of our time.
Women are the fastest growing incarcerated population. A recent report published by the Texas Criminal Justice Coalition noted that 81% of women in Texas prisons are mothers. We can’t stop short of confronting the magnitude of what the numbers mean. There is a real problem here and a crying need for help from those affected. I don’t want to be just a lawyer. I want to use my platform as a lawyer to promote the greater good. My mother, who was released from prison in 2008, has reintegrated back into society very successfully and is actively involved with GEM.
My mother and I want to educate young girls and their mothers that the cycle, which often accompanies incarceration, can be broken. After all, we are living proof.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Building a non-profit organization does not come without challenges. Some of our struggles stem from stereotypes and pre-conceived notions associated with incarceration. But as an organization, we have to practice what we preach and use our stumbling blocks as stepping stones for a brighter tomorrow.
This challenge empowers us to recognize the humanity in the marginalized society of incarcerated mothers and their daughters – to amplify the stories and voices of our mothers, their daughters, and families impacted by incarceration. We want to change the narrative.
With empathy, understanding, love, and hope for a better world, we can build the public will necessary to shatter the stigma associated with incarceration. The journey is not perfect, but the purpose is. We remain purpose-driven through it all.
Girls Embracing Mothers – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
GEM’s mission is to empower girls with mothers in prison to break the cycle of incarceration and lead successful lives with vision and purpose. We recognize the humanity in the marginalized society of incarcerated mothers and their daughters and work to build solidarity within this population. We create space for intergenerational healing of girls with incarcerated mothers – a vulnerable population of children who are among the most at risk, yet least visible, populations of children.
We have two programs, the Pearl Program and the Diamond Program. The Pearl Program aims to reduce the trauma suffered by girls as a result of the mother’s incarceration through increased communication and group visitation. In 2013, GEM partnered with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) to carry out this mission. GEM works with TDCJ to identify mothers in prison who were interested in enrolling their daughters in the program.
Through this amazing partnership with TDCJ, the first Saturday of each month, GEM makes the 4.5-hour round trip from Dallas to women’s prisons in Gatesville to take a group of girls to visit their mothers for an enhanced 4-hour visitation (compared to the normal 2 hours allowed during regular visits).
GEM facilitates discussions between the mothers and daughters that revolve around critical life issues while building the mother-daughter bond. GEM is allowed to bring in supplies for arts and crafts, food for the girls to eat with the moms, and to visit with the moms in the education building for a more intimate setting as opposed to the general visitation room. Mothers and daughters take an active role in planning and implementing the activities thus fostering the personal and social development of girls and mothers.
The Diamond Program focuses on ensuring character cultivation by providing monthly workshops and an annual summer camp for the girls that enhance self-esteem, develop leadership and communication skills, establish cognizance of wellness, teach social and life skills and instill moral values. To strengthen the girls’ sense of civic engagement and awareness, the Diamond Program also offers our girls the opportunity to give back to the community through service.
We are the only organization in Northeast Texas that serves girls with mothers in prison. We strive to equip our girls with the appropriate tools to break the cycle of incarceration to become productive members of society. Through these activities, the girls develop real-world abilities that will last them a lifetime.
One of the lessons I want to instill in the recipients of GEM is that in order for a GEM/diamond to brilliantly shine, it must go through intense heat and crushing pressure. But this process releases the beauty of a diamond that we all admire. A beauty that is unbreakable.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
Success to me is taking control of my destiny while standing unapologetically in my truth. I believe that when we write our own script for this thing called life, it helps us recognize the greatness within ourselves to embrace, empower, and encourage others… through service and with LOVE.
Contact Info:
- Address: 2904 Floyd Street, Suite A Dallas, Texas 75204
- Website: www.girlsembracingmothers.org
- Phone: 214-442-1617
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: instagram.com/girlsembracingmothers
- Facebook: facebook.com/girlsembracingmothers
- Twitter: twitter.com/GEM_amplifyHER
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