Mothers Freed, Families Reunited This Mother’s Day

Houston, TX – Five mothers were reunited with their children this weekend as part of the National Bail Out’s #FreeBlackMamas initiative in Harris County, bringing families back together in time for Mother’s Day and spotlighting the ongoing harm of pretrial detention. Grassroots Leadership is proud to participate in this initiative for a second time, bringing the total amount of mothers released to 10.  

“No one should be in jail simply because they can’t afford to pay bail,” said Carl Nix, Participatory Defense Organizer for Grassroots Leadership. “These moms should have been home with their children all along. This bailout is not a celebration, but it’s also a call to end the criminalization of poverty and invest in real safety, keeping families together.”

The #FreeBlackMamas campaign is an annual effort by the National Bail Out collective that raises awareness about the human and financial costs of money bail and its disproportionate impact on Black mothers and caregivers. Since 2017, National Bail Out has coordinated tactical bailouts across the country so that Black Mamas and caregivers can spend Mother’s Day with their families—where they belong. In Harris County, local organizers came together once again to raise funds and post bail for five mothers who were detained pretrial simply because they couldn’t afford their release.

“We bailed out five mamas, but there are hundreds more still behind bars for no reason other than they’re poor,” said Dianna Williams, Deputy Director for Grassroots Leadership. “It’s time to stop spending money on jails and start investing in the resources our communities actually need: housing, mental health care, and support systems that keep us safe.”

For members of the community interested in supporting efforts like these, visit nationalbailout.org or donate to Grassroots Leadership’s Mutual Aid Fund to support community members incarcerated or detained.