National Bail Out (NBO), a Black-led collective responsible for Black Mama's Bail Out, has announced that this year's campaign helped free more than 100 moms and caregivers ahead of Mother's Day.
“This year was the largest Black Mama’s Bail Out yet, and we couldn’t be more proud,” project director Arissa Hall said in a statement obtained by EBONY. “But our fight is far from over. The existence of cash bail and criminal legal system that entraps Black communities continues to devastate families across the nation. We will keep bailing caregivers out of jail, supporting our communities and raising awareness of the broader impacts of money bail and pretrial detention.”
In addition, the campaign, which included the social movement #FreeBlackMamas, raised more than $1,000,000 from individual contributions to support this year's bailout and reform the criminal justice system.
NBO is composed of a dozen organizations, including Color Of Change and Southerners on New Ground.
"One hundred moms were able to spend the holiday with their families. One hundred communities are one step closer to healing because they’ve been reunited with caregivers," said Erika Maye, Color Of Change deputy senior director of criminal justice. "We know that the racist system of cash bail continues to hold Black people back across the nation. Color Of Change and our members will continue to fight for the complete elimination of cash bail and the collective liberation of Black communities."
This year's initiative hosted bailouts in more than 35 cities across the United States. Since 2017, Black Mama's Bail Out has helped more than 400 people secure release, and raise awareness of the community and the financial impact of cash bail.
