While many of us celebrated our fathers on Sunday, one Virginia-based organization spent the past few months collecting funds in hopes of bailing some black fathers out of jail for Father’s Day.
According to WDBJ, Black Father Family raised money to bail out incarcerated fathers with nonviolent offenses and whose bail did not exceed $500.
“I want to do everything I can to possibly give another young Black child the same opportunity that I had to have their father in the house with them,” said Black Father Family founder Ryan Bell.
The organization Black Father Family is working with Ex-Out to raise money to bail black fathers out of jails across the state and send them home by Father's Day. https://t.co/sJghQGulaL
— WDBJ7 (@WDBJ7) June 14, 2019
Bell dedicates his organization to combating negative stereotypes against Black fatherhood. Through the organization’s “Father’s Bailout” initiative, they are able to combat America’s highly criticized cash bail system by uniting Black fathers back with their families. Through Black Father Family’s work, they are helping to raise awareness about America’s deep-rooted issue of mass incarceration and a flawed criminal justice system.
Bell says he was inspired by prison reform projects spearheaded by Jay Z and the National Bail Out organization’s #FreeBlackMamas movement that took place in May.
“I understand that there are certain systemic issues that remove these fathers from their households,” Black Father Family founder Ryan Bell said in a statement, according to the news outlet. “I want to do everything I can to possibly give another young Black child the same opportunity that I had to have their father in the house with them.”
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