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Dear John,
On November 8th, we had a chance to witness something that rarely happens. Tondalao Hall, a Black mother who was sentenced to 30 years for “failure to protect” her children from abuse was released from Mabel Correctional Facility in Oklahoma. She served 15 years behind bars simply for surviving domestic violence while her abuser, Robert Braxton, was never held accountable.
As I watched Tondalao reunite with her family I was both relieved and overjoyed. It was a special moment that so few incarcerated women get to experience. And that special moment that was hard-fought and won by community organizations like Project Blackbird. Project Blackbird, led by Candace Liger, is an organization that works to reimagine freedom for people and communities impacted by the criminal legal system. For years, community organizers in Oklahoma and advocates across the country pressured the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board, District Attorney David Prater, and finally Governor Stitt to release Tondalao from prison. Without Black women's unwavering commitment to center and defend Black women, Tondalao may have never been released. Now we need to raise $20,000 before 2020 to welcome her home and ensure her successful restoration.
Chip in $3 to support Tondalao and her family this Giving Tuesday.
Tondalao’s release happened one week after Governor Stitt approved the largest single-day mass commutation in the state's history, and just a few weeks after the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole board unanimously recommended Tondalao's commutation.1 As the result of a ballot initiative to declassify simple drug possession and low-level property offense, over 400 incarcerated folks were released to join their loved ones.2 And even though Tondalao's release didn't meet the requirements to be a part of the single-day mass commutation, it did create the momentum that Project Blackbird needed to demand her immediate freedom.3 There is no telling where Tondalao would be without other Black women leading the charge against this injustice and refusing to allow it to go unchallenged. The painful truth is this: Tondalao is just one of the thousands of Black women across the country who are criminalized for surviving abuse, incarcerated, and then separated from their families. While we continue to work to end these violent systems and institutions, we must do our part to ensure the people who suffer the indignity of incarceration are supported once they come home.
The future is bright for Tondalao. In the 15 years she sat behind bars she became a licensed cosmetologist -- an important milestone that will undoubtedly help her get started on a career after her release. Still, this transition will be challenging. Formerly incarcerated people face real barriers to resources that many of us take for granted such as housing, employment, healthcare, and so much more. We want to make sure she and her family never have to worry about basic necessities during this time. John, your contribution is crucial for Tondolao as she begins this next phase of her life.
Will you chip in to Tondalao's freedom fund?
Until justice is real,
--Clarise, Rashad, Arisha, Scott, Erika, Malachi, Marybeth, Marena, Madison, Leonard, Tamar, Neosho, and the rest of the Color Of Change team
References:
- "She went to prison over her boyfriend’s child abuse. Thirteen years after he got out, she’s free." The Washington Post. https://act.colorofchange.org/go/214887?t=9&akid=39336%2E4731121%2E7fWu9Z
- Open Letter to Governor Stitt. http://act.colorofchange.org/go/215337?t=11&akid=39336%2E4731121%2E7fWu9Z
- "Hundreds of Oklahoma inmates being released Monday in largest commutation in U.S." NBC News. historyhttps://act.colorofchange.org/go/213548?t=13&akid=39336%2E4731121%2E7fWu9Z
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