Name: Jay Barnett
Profession: Actor & Youth Inspirational Speaker
Age: 32
One Word That Describes You: Relentless
Depression is a condition that is taboo and hard for many people to openly discuss, but for Jay Barnett, our latest BE Modern Man ambassador, he was inspired to fight through his own bouts with depression to become an actor and motivational speaker to the youth. “I lived through multiple suicide attempts in my attempt to overcome depression,” Barnett tells BE Modern Man exclusively. “My issues started as a teenager and progressed into adulthood.”
From there Jay Barnett would create TheMeProject and TheWeProject to serve as a platform for teens who felt just as he did. “I wanted to give them the opportunity to not only hear, but see a different perspective beyond the pain of their own experiences in life which I had gone through.” The five-week self-development course is aimed toward middle school boys and girls, and helps serve as a warm embrace as they transition into “men and women of excellence.” “I had to overcome being different and accept that my path was not like others,” Barnett said. “I had to embrace rejection and not be offended because someone didn’t understand my purpose and passion.”
Purpose and passion are two things that together drive the 32-year-old multi-talented Barnett to greater lengths than anyone can imagine. In 2014, Barnett starred in the faith-based drama, Signed, Sealed, and Delivered, which told the story of “betrayal, love, redemption, and forgiveness.” He led the production as “King-Pin Mack Biggs,” a man who sets out to share Christ’s word after serving 10 years in prison for drug trafficking, money laundering, and attempted murder. As the film sold out during its initial run in 2014, Barnett, who had already impressed audiences in Trauma (2013) and Bicycle Day (2011), wanted to offer this perspective to the BE Modern Man reader, saying, “I believe one of the key tenets that us as black men have in our DNA is the ‘us against the world’ mentality. We can create an uncanny focus toward success only if channeled in the right direction. I’d also like to say that we have a more spiritual base foundation — most of our grandparents were raised in the church — which is dynamic for those black men who were into Christ or even raised by single mothers.”
When asked how more people of color within Hollywood can break through to create an impact amongst the young generation of viewers, Barnett said, “Each generation is different and one must be able to transition as the other gets left behind. The only way you can make an impact is by being unconventional, nontraditional, relevant, and transparent.”
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Following his own advice on maintaining transparency, Barnett shares a story about his greatest setback that almost stopped him from continuing his storied success. “The Green Bay Packers told me that they were going in a different direction and that I did not fit their system,” the former NFL athlete confessed to us. “It took me a while to overcome the feeling, as I believed that I did everything right, yet came up short. I felt I was a failure. Eventually, I had an epiphany that pulled me out of
my slump. Just because I didn’t fit in their system, didn’t mean it was over for me. God opened my eyes to a bigger purpose that I quickly embraced.” By surpassing that obstacle and gaining wisdom and confidence as a result, Barnett achieved success in learning one of the most valued rules of life, “Through every step back, God is waiting to push you forward tenfold.”A professed Christian and follower of the Word, Barnett’s narrative is similar to many young African and African American boys who are in the United States. Having had no father, being driven to play sports or be athletic, no solid direction, angry, or just plain resentful for not having any of life’s luxuries, Barnett sees his life as a testament of “not being a product of an environment, yet making the environment a product of himself.” “The key is defying the urge to quit and take a different path that is less traveled,” Mr. Barnett said. “My story, I hope, will change a young person’s mind and force them to continue pushing toward their purpose even if they haven’t discovered it.”
For these things, as well as his stellar authorship of the book Find Our Lost Kings and Queens and Letters to a Young Queen, Jay Barnett has been selected as a BE Modern Man. He says, “I am humbled and blessed to be considered as a BE Modern Man. I believe the definition of this distinction describes the key elements that is needed to succeed in any area of life whether it be business, relational, or family. I believe a BE Modern Man is needed more now than ever — the presence and representation of a confident, ethical man of excellence should be in demand.”
The BE Modern Man team salutes you, Jay Barnett, for contributing positive images of African American culture to the masses. Your mission of encouraging the young to fight through depression and praising our Creator’s name in the Arts frames us in an enthusiastic light, and is meant to be celebrated and appreciated.
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