Supporters of a young mother in Ohio have raised more than $80K through a GoFundMe after the mother was arrested on charges of child endangerment. Police charge the mother, 24-year-old Shaina Bell of Liberty Township, left her children in a motel while she went to work at a local pizza shop. Police found her daughters, ages 10 and 2, after a tip was called in.
The story garnered national attention with many women’s groups and others pointing to the challenges women face when trying to balance both a career and motherhood. This case pointed to the even more nuanced challenges faced by women living in poverty and women of color.
“The simple truth is that women, especially Black women, Latina women, Asian American and Pacific Islander women, and Indigenous women, have suffered the worst impacts of the pandemic, and they need to be lifted up in the solutions and relief you draft and ultimately pass in Congress,” progressive women’s groups wrote earlier this month.
Most have come out in support of Bell, including Arizona Rep. Ruben Gallego (D), who tweeted his response to the story.
“Women are dammed if they do or damned if they don’t. Stay at home with your kids and receive government assistance and you are a leach, go to work for poverty wages and can’t get consistent sitters and go to jail.”
Bell told police her children were being checked on every hour while she was at work. She pleaded not guilty and was released on bail.
The children have been placed in the custody of their father. Bell is scheduled to attend a hearing in April.
