Childhood & Coming Of Age
Darrell Jay Bennett, Jr., was born on August 5, 1985 in Baltimore, Maryland. At 13, he moved to Newport News, Virginia, where his mother's husband started a church, called Repairing and Restoring Lives Ministries. At 17, he graduated from the International Baccalaureate program as student government president.
In Fall 2003, Darrell enrolled in Morehouse College on a full academic scholarship. While there he published his first book, Daring to Be Different (2004); served as class president; completed over 2000 hours of community service through the Bonners’ Scholars Program; and spoke on behalf of the College in both Israel and China. In 2007, he graduated as valedictorian with a 4.0 GPA (valedictory speech here - "This is Our Time!").
In Fall 2007, Darrell enrolled at Harvard Law School. He graduated with a Juris Doctor in 2010 as Class Marshal.
In 2010, Darrell moved to New York City. There, he started his first company, released his second book, The Power to Think, The Will to Act (2012), and traveled across the nation, inspiring and encouraging families and communities. He became a college professor, teaching pre-law and criminal justice courses at MCNY and CUNY. In June 2013, he was admitted to the Maryland bar to practice law.
Between 2014 and 2017, for 40 months, Darrell went through the darkest chapter of his life. He chronicles this period in great detail in his memoirs, Come. Back. Swinging. (2019).
2018 began his transformation and ultimately his restoration.
Recent Years
In Spring 2018, he was tapped by the CEO of Exodus to teach career-focused reentry classes, called the Wilderness Program, for returning citizens. Then in 2019, he was asked to create the curriculum for and lead the IMPACT program, the first of its kind in the state of New York, funded by the Secretary of State's office, which combined professional development and personal growth for people who served over 15 years in penal systems.
Later that year, he released, Come. Back. Swinging., and traveled to law schools, social impact companies and prisons to encourage, inform and empower the next generation of leaders and advocates.
In 2019, Darrell founded BSG Global, a mentorship and leadership development company, with alumni of Harvard University, Morehouse College, and the London School of Economics.
In Spring 2021, Darrell founded The DB3 Foundation, the Bennett family's foundation for giving.
