For Immediate Release:
Date: January 27, 2020
Voices Against Injustice announces Massachusetts Bail Fund is the recipient of the 2020 Salem Award for Human Rights and Social Justice.
Voices Against Injustice announced today that it has chosen to honor the Massachusetts Bail Fund and present the organization with the prestigious Salem Award for Human Rights and Social Justice. The Massachusetts Bail Fund pays up to $500 bail so that low-income people can stay free while they work towards resolving their case, allowing individuals, families, and communities to stay productive, together, and stable. The Massachusetts Bail Fund also works towards ending pre-trial detention and supervision in the long-term.
Fara Wolfson, co-chair for Voices Against Injustice, commenting on choosing the Massachusetts Bail Fund as recipient of the Salem Award, said, “Every year we remember the injustice that occurred here in 1692 by honoring organizations that are raising their voices and inspiring others to confront social injustice with courage. The Massachusetts Bail Fund embodies the values and social justice advocacy we support. They are changing lives by addressing a practice that is cruel and unconstitutional.”
Commenting on receiving the 2020 Salem Award, Atara Rich-Shea, Executive Director of the MA Bail Fund said, “It is a great honor to receive the Salem Award. I have a great deal of respect and admiration for Voices Against Injustice and their advocacy mission. Receiving the Salem Award will help us raise awareness of the injustice of money bail and the impact pre-trial detention has on people & their families throughout Massachusetts. “
This year’s Salem Award Ceremony will take place on April 5, 4pm, at the Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, MA. A reception will immediately follow the Award Ceremony.
Voices Against Injustice is a Salem-based non-profit that celebrates today’s champions of human rights by presenting the annual Salem Awards, stewarding the Salem Witch Trials Memorial, and inspiring members of our worldwide community to confront fear and social injustice with courage.