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National Bail Out, Color Of Change & Advocacy Groups Announce Fifth Annual Black Mama’s Bail Out to Free Incarcerated Mothers and Reunite Black Families For Mother’s Day

For Immediate Release: Friday, May 7, 2021

Contact: media@colorofchange.org

 

National Bail Out, Color Of Change & Advocacy Groups Announce Fifth Annual Black Mama’s Bail Out to Free Incarcerated Mothers and Reunite Black Families For Mother’s Day

Initiative Has Raised More Than $5 Million & Bailed Out More Than 500 Women in Past Four Years 

New York, NY — Today, National Bail Out (NBO) announced the continuation of the Black Mama’s Bail Outs, a bail out initiative to free incarcerated mamas and caregivers ahead of Mother’s Day. This year marks the fifth cycle of bailouts and the second cycle to take place during the COVID-19 pandemic. These mothers and caregivers are only being held because they are too poor to pay bail. Detaining anyone who has not been convicted of a crime simply because they cannot afford bail is not only unjust and unfair; it harms their children and their families for years to come.

Local advocacy groups across the country have started organizing efforts to release incarcerated women in a dozen cities nationwide, including Atlanta, Memphis, Kansas City, and Philadelphia. Since its creation in 2017, this initiative has freed more than 500 Black mothers and caregivers from jail, prison and immigrant detention centers. The Black Mama’s Bail Out initiative is led by formerly incarcerated Black mothers giving back to help provide social services following incarceration. 

“CRIFC is proud to participate in this year’s Black Mama’s Day Bail Out. We are excited to bail out five mamas in New Orleans and five mamas in Durham NC,” said Devohn Phillips, Regional Services Coordinator, The Center for Resilient Individuals, Families and Communities and member of the NBO Advisory Committee. “Social Services will be provided for all the mamas bailed out. Thanks for all the support NBO has provided CRIFC with this BMBO. We are excited to be a part of NBO’s ecosystem and share their vision of ending money bonds.”


“Black women are the fastest growing population in pretrial detention centers, and as a result are forced to pay bail, or face being stuck in jail, unable to care for their children running the risk of temporary or permanent loss of custody,” said Erika Maye, Deputy Senior Director of Criminal justice Campaigns, Color Of Change. “As the coronavirus continues to rage on, we are determined to look out for our own as our ancestors did and free our mothers and caregivers. More than ever, it is up to us to step up and care for Black mamas and caregivers in our communities, and return them where they belong — at home with their families and loved ones.”

“For this year’s Black Mama’s Bail Out, Essie Justice Group worked with public defenders offices across the state to identify for Black mothers and caregivers to bail out of jail. We found that judges have set bail amounts on low income and working class women to the tune of two hundred thousand dollars all the way to one million dollars,” said Gina Clayton-Johnson, Founder and Executive Director of Essie Justice Group. “Essie Justice Group is an organization of women with incarcerated loved ones. We know from experience that it is Black women who are paying the cost of our unjust bail system. Women who have loved ones behind bars are the ones who get the call to pay the bail amount, the ones who are ushering people through court and through navigating the complex decisions when someone is fighting a case, and who are taking care of families and feeding mouths when a loved one is incarcerated in jail or prison.”

“Money has been the main reason for the enslavement of black bodies in this country. The lack of money is used as a tool to keep us separated from our liberation. If you are poor your hope for securing your freedom is slim to none. Black Mama’s Bail Out has made it possible to use love and critical resistance to buy the freedom of our loved ones. Money kept us in bondage but love set us free,” said Bridgette Simpson, Women On The Rise.

“Money bail is a reproductive justice issue. In the 4 years of doing the Black Mama’s Day Bail Out, The Official Black Lives Matter Memphis Chapter has uncovered the myriad of ways that the criminal legal system, including bail, is rooted in reproductive oppression,” said Briana Perry, Coordinating Committee Member, The Official Black Lives Matter Memphis Chapter. “We know that providing mamas and caregivers with the resources and support that they need not only helps with attending court dates, but these resources are also a cornerstone of reproductive justice—establishing thriving and sustainable communities.” 

Across the country, discriminatory policing, systemic racism in the legal system, and exploitative practices like cash bail have led to the mass incarceration of Black people. Black women and caregivers have made up an increasingly large share of the incarcerated population, due to exorbitant bail requests and other challenges. Mass incarceration has always been a danger to Black families, posing serious consequences for housing, employment, and public assistance even though hundreds of thousands of individuals held pretrial have not been convicted of a crime. But in the midst of the ongoing pandemic, mass incarceration is not only harsh, dangerous, and unfair; it’s a death sentence. 

The Black Mama’s Bail Outs are part of a larger effort to end mass incarceration nationwide. In the absence of government action to reduce the incarcerated population, NBO, Color Of Change, and other partners have raised more than $1 million to post bail for hundreds of incarcerated Black mothers and caregivers. In addition to the bailouts, organizers have provided long-term housing, trauma counseling, and other supportive services to all formerly incarcerated peoples freed in time for this upcoming Mother’s Day. 

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About Color Of Change:

Color Of Change is the nation’s largest online racial justice organization. We help people respond effectively to injustice in the world around us. As a national online force driven by over 7 million members, we move decision-makers in corporations and government to create a more human and less hostile world for Black people in America. Visit www.colorofchange.org.

 

About National Bail Out: 

National Bail Out is a Black-led and Black-centered collective of abolitionist organizers, lawyers, and activists building a community-based movement to (1) support our folks, (2) end systems of pretrial detention, and (3) ultimately end mass incarceration. We are people who have been impacted by cages either by being in them ourselves or witnessing our families and loved ones be encaged. We are queer, trans, young, elder, and immigrant. Learn more at www.nationalbailout.org.

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