A 15-year-old Michigan girl unjustly spent several months in a juvenile detention facility for violating her probation by, in part, failing to complete her remote school assignments.

The girl — who was given the pseudonym Grace — has been released and her case has since closed. And the organization that was helping to seek justice for her is continuing to keep their foot on the gas to ensure the decriminalization of young Black girls.

Grace was supposed to receive supplemental support from her teachers in addition to extra time to complete her work due to a diagnosed mood disorder and ADHD, as Blavity previously reported. When she forgot to power her computer, resulting in missed schooling, Judge Mary Ellen Brennan deemed Grace a "threat to [the] community" and consequently ordered her imprisonment. Grace said she would be obedient and pleaded to be reunited with her mother, but Judge Brennan insisted on keeping her behind bars.

"Give yourself a chance to follow through and finish something. The right thing is for you and your mom to be separated for right now," the judge said. "I think you are exactly where you are supposed to be. You are blooming there, but there is more work to be done."

Lawmakers, including U.S. Reps. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., and Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., penned a letter to the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Justice demanding Grace be freed.

After Judge Brennan denied her release at a second hearing last month, a third hearing was scheduled for September.

Thankfully, Grace no longer has to wait until then. The Michigan Court of Appeals ordered Grace to be released on Friday, overruling Judge Brennan's decision, as Blavity previously reported.

"We’re so happy that Grace is going to go home with her mom and sleep in her own bed tonight. She'll be where she belongs, really," attorney Jonathan Biernat said.

Founder of Pretty Brown Girl (PBG) Foundation, Sheri Crawley, joined thousands of individuals campaigning for Grace to be reunited with her mother. Though the teen might be sleeping comfortably at home, the organization's work is far from over. Through PBG, Crawley hopes to "educate girls of color and encourage self-acceptance by cultivating social, emotional and intellectual well-being."

Speaking exclusively to Blavity, Crawley discussed Grace's case and why she and her organization got involved.

"It really hit home for us because she was a Black girl, our exact age and lives in our same county," PBG participants explained. "It made us realize that Grace could've been us and we would've wanted someone sticking up for us if we were in that situation."

"We are that safe place to route girls to experts where they can get the support they need," Crawley said. "A lot of girls right now feel totally misunderstood. When you add COVID and quarantine and all the racial injustice, it just exacerbates it. It could have been my girls."

Speaking of her daughters, Laila and Aliya Crawley, they also joined in on the fight. Through Girls for Grace, Crawley's two children raised money for Grace to use for whatever resources she needs and will be donating 100% of the proceeds. While they don't necessarily consider themselves activists, Laila and Aliya certainly have piqued an interest in advocacy through this project.

"Grace's case has certainly sparked an interest for us in social justice issues in the world pertaining to girls of color," the girls told Blavity. "It also taught us that you are never too young to make change in the world."

Crawley also touched on mass incarceration and the school-to-prison pipeline, debunking deeply rooted claims that only Black men face this epidemic. In reality, it affects Black women as well.

"I definitely think it starts at school," she explained. "It also stems from poverty. We have adolescents experiencing trauma at such a young age without the support of therapy, counseling, or healing. If nothing changes in that process, there can be destruction on the other side. Girls see things that are totally unrealistic and filtered, and they immediately believe, 'I'm not good enough, I'm not worthy.' They're dealing in a false reality, so it's definitely a point of stress for them."

"Once you're in the system, it's easier to build upon themselves. I think colorism still exists when it comes to prison, with darker-skinned women going to prison more often than lighter-skinned women. All of that still exists. Black girls are 50% more likely to face suspension — that's higher than Black males," she added.

The school-to-prison pipeline is especially unkind to Black people, but Black women and girls often face a harsher reality than their male counterparts. The Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative, via The Guardian, found that in 1992, 29% of all girls with juvenile court records were Black girls. Ten years later, the proportion rose to 30%. By 2009, it was 40%. This number doesn't necessarily indicate these ladies have engaged in activity punishable by arrest.

Crawley launched PBG with her husband in 2014.

The organization services school districts nationwide through its K-12 D.R.E.A.M. Program, a curriculum built to develop leaders from the inside out while accompanying participants through a journey of self-discovery that instills confidence, self-love and motivation to pursue their dreams. The program currently serves girls throughout 160 schools. According to PBG's 2020 mission, its programs "broaden the circle of conversation" among girls "and encourage interactive dialogue and activity."

Surveys taken among student participants in the program found that upon completion of the program, there was a 30% increase in the number of girls who had a positive self-image. As school districts pivot to virtual learning for the upcoming school year, so will the D.R.E.A.M. Program — and demand now is larger than ever.

"Since the recent uprisings we are receiving tremendous response from individuals, small business, organizations and corporations across the globe who are helping to sponsor the 17,500 girls on our waitlist," Crawley said.

PBG also announced their newest initiative, “Pretty Brown Girl Academy,” launching this fall. PBG Academy, formerly known as the D.R.E.A.M. Program, will be a new, fully virtual K-12 program available for all schools across the country.

But Crawley's work cannot be done without the help of sponsors. PBG is looking to partner with companies, organizations and corporations that align with the PBG mission to help sponsor the schools and girls on their current waitlist. Those interested in partnering with PBG can find more information here.

Crawley concluded her remarks by noting the ongoing injustices toward Breonna Taylor and her family, offering insight into how mothers can discuss her tragic killing with their own young daughters.

"We need to teach them to be advocates at a young age," she affirmed. "We need to reduce this amount of fear that has been paralyzing. I tell my girls I don't want them to be 45-year-old grown women who can't move past fear because they're scared. We have to work through the fear because it's a form of healing."

To get involved with Pretty Brown Girl, click here.

Pretty-Brown-Girl

Get relevant content delivered to you once a week