Everyday an average of 700,000 people are condemned to local jails and separated from their families. A majority of them are there simply because they cannot afford to pay bail, which disproportionately hurts Black and Brown people and their families. Even a few days in jail can ruin a person’s life. They may lose their job, their family may lose housing, and some even lose their children even if they’re later found innocent of the crime they were charged with.

The majority of the female prison population are women of color and low-income women. According to a report by the Vera Institute of Justice, nearly two thirds of women in jail are women of color; 44% are black, 15% are Latinx, and 5% are of other backgrounds. With 36% of the female prison population identifying as white. The report indicates that most incarcerated women are in jail for low-level offenses, which can include things such as loitering or simple drug possession. These bails could vary from $75 to $30,000.

The week before Mother’s Day, organizations in dozens of cities across the country will bail out as many mothers as possible who otherwise would spend Mother’s Day in a cell simply because they cannot afford bail. Our goal is to work with the community to identify those in need of bail support and raise $10,000 to bail out mothers in the Summit County Jail and you can join us by clicking here.

Help us to make the 2019 Black Mama’s Day Bail Out - Akron a success. We are asking for donations of any kind. You can donate time, services, space for informational events, money, etc. If you would like to get involved please contact Ciara Humphrey at (234) 200-6519 or ciara@ohorganizing.org.

You can help reunite a mama with her family here.