Activists pay bail to get Black mothers released for Mother’s Day

Stores and even vendors on the sidewalks have inundated the public with potential gifts for Mother’s Day, which was yesterday (May 13). But how about this for a unique gift – bailing a mother out of jail. That’s what happened in Ashley, North Carolina, where a group of activists raised enough funds to release at least three Black mothers from a county jail, reports WRAL.com. For the second consecutive year, the group carried out Black Mamas Bailout, an effort that shows support for incarcerated Black mothers while protesting the cash bail system. By the Friday before Mother’s Day, the group – called Southerners on New Ground – has bailed out three women from the Buncombe County Detention Center. The group raised more than $140,000 to be used to release moms in North Carolina and Texas, as well as other states. More than 100 women were released through the program this year.