Carter G. Woodson wrote, “If a race has no history, it has no worthwhile tradition, it becomes a negligible factor in the thought of the world, and it stands in danger of being exterminated.” In 1926, Woodson and the Association for the Study of African American Life and History launched a “Negro History Week” to bring attention to his mission and help school systems coordinate their focus on the topic. A number of mayors had already adopted the celebration as a municipal event by the time President Gerald Ford decreed Black History Month a national observance in 1976.
As we plan to highlight and celebrate #BlackHistoryMonth at JOTF, we are reminded of just how far we have come but also of the struggles that we still face as a nation. We all know Maryland’s cash bail system creates & perpetuates harmful racial disparities, and contributes to the criminalization of poverty and race.
This year, we are kicking off a celebration of Black History Month by conducting a Community Bail Out.
JOTF’s Community Bail Fund seeks to support individuals who are incarcerated due to an unaffordable cash bail. For more information about JOTF’s Community Bailout Efforts, please visit our website.
JOTF also provides customized, intensive case management support to those released. To contribute to this important work, please donate.
#BlackHistoryMonth #CommunityBailout #BaltimoreCity #JOTF #BailReformContinues #DecriminalizePoverty #decriminalizerace #endmassincarceration #BlackLivesMatter
