Ideas change everything

The creativity, innovation and ingenuity languishing in US prisons

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Brittany K. Barnett |

TED Salon: American Family Insurance

• November 2021

The freedom journey doesn't end when someone is released from prison. In many ways, it begins. Attorney and entrepreneur Brittany K. Barnett fights to free people from prison and champions restoring and nurturing the creative ingenuity of justice-impacted people. She shares stories of the innovation languishing in America's prisons -- and a vision for investing in people whose unjust sentences interrupted their dreams to bring great things to the world.

Want to use TED Talks in your organization?

Want to use TED Talks in your organization?

The freedom journey doesn't end when someone is released from prison. In many ways, it begins. Attorney and entrepreneur Brittany K. Barnett fights to free people from prison and champions restoring and nurturing the creative ingenuity of justice-impacted people. She shares stories of the innovation languishing in America's prisons -- and a vision for investing in people whose unjust sentences interrupted their dreams to bring great things to the world.

Want to use TED Talks in your organization?

This talk was presented at a TED Salon event given in partnership with American Family Insurance. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.

Read more about TED Salons.

Donate to the Manifest Freedom Fund to help justice-impacted entrepreneurs thrive.

Donate to the Buried Alive Project to help the fight to free people serving unjust sentences under outdated federal drug laws.

Donate to Girls Embracing Mothers to help empower girls with mothers in prison break the cycle of incarceration to lead successful lives with vision and purpose.

About the speaker

Brittany K. Barnett

Attorney, entrepreneur, author

See speaker profile

Brittany K. Barnett is a best-selling author, attorney and entrepreneur who thrives at the intersection of hope, justice and freedom.

Learn more

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Brittany K. Barnett | Crown (2021)

Brittany K. Barnett - *A Knock at Midnight: A Story of Hope, Justice, and Freedom*

"Free to Dream: The talks of TED Salon, in partnership with American Family Insurance"

TED Salon: Free to Dream, presented by TED in partnership with American Family Insurance, challenged the definition of the word "freedom" and laid out new ideas for engaging in systems change.

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About TED Salon

TED Salons welcome an intimate audience for an afternoon or evening of highly-curated TED Talks revolving around a globally relevant theme. A condensed version of a TED flagship conference, they are distinct in their brevity, opportunities for conversation, and heightened interaction between the speaker and audience.

Read more about TED Salons

This talk was presented at a TED Salon event given in partnership with American Family Insurance. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.

Read more about TED Salons.

Donate to the Manifest Freedom Fund to help justice-impacted entrepreneurs thrive.

Donate to the Buried Alive Project to help the fight to free people serving unjust sentences under outdated federal drug laws.

Donate to Girls Embracing Mothers to help empower girls with mothers in prison break the cycle of incarceration to lead successful lives with vision and purpose.