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John,
Today is the day - SB394 is headed for a final vote in the
California State Assembly!
For the past year,
Ashleigh Carter – formerly incarcerated mother and tireless advocate –
has been putting herself and her family on the line by sharing their
darkest moments over and over again.
Why? Because when her daughter Asia was only three years old,
Ashleigh was sentenced to prison and missed out on some of their most
important moments together.
Today, California has an opportunity to prevent mothers and
daughters like Ashleigh and Asia from being unnecessarily torn apart
by incarceration by passing SB 394.
 Ashleigh (left) and her now 13 year
old daughter Asia (right) testifying on behalf of Senate Bill 394
before the State Senate's Public Safety Committee.
This vote is the last step of the legislative process. If SB394
passes, it will head to Governor Newsom's desk for signature.
If this bill is signed into law, it has the potential to
create a ripple of change for families at risk of being harmed by
incarceration across the country.
But a few members of the California Assembly are still on the fence
about supporting the bill.
We
need you to show your support and take action - NOW!
13-year-old Asia bravely shared her story when she testified in
Sacramento. She spoke about being bullied at school for having two
parents in prison. The bullying got so bad that after Ashleigh
returned home from prison, she began homeschooling Asia.
Ashleigh is a single parent caring for not one but two daughters,
and working to support them at the same time. All the while, she has
been flying to California's capitol to share her story with lawmakers
who have experiences completely different than her own – all in the
hopes that she can prevent other families from being torn apart by
incarceration like hers was.
We are so proud of Ashleigh and grateful for her willingness to put
her pain in plain sight for the sake of other families.
Now
it's your turn to step up! Let's make sure we do all we can to get
this critical bill over the finish
line!
In
solidarity,
the #cut50 team
Ps. Want to learn more about Ashleigh's
story? You can read it in her own words here -
and share it on Twitter
and Facebook.
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