Photo Courtesy of theGrio
Another Mother’s Day passed and Gemena Taylor spent it visiting her mom in a Florida prison. Gemena’s mom, Gloria Taylor, is currently serving a life sentence for a nonviolent drug charge and has been behind bars for over 30 years. Gemena is fighting for her mom’s freedom.
“I usually go see my momma on Mother’s Day,” said Gemena.
According to theGrio, she admitted that growing up and not having her mother on the holiday didn’t really impact her, but that doesn’t mean she has not faced hardships since her mother’s incarceration.
Gemena was in the fifth grade when her mother went to prison.
She admitted that if she had her mother around growing up, it would have made a significant difference.
“One day didn’t really affect me, it was everyday life,” the woman expressed. “I have stains on my brain that I can’t seem to wipe away.”
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Gemena, 42, has been raising awareness about her mother’s case for a decade and refuses to stop fighting for her mother’s freedom. Gloria was sentenced to life back in the early 90s. She was caught with just 56 grams of cocaine but having been caught at the height of the war on drugs and due to previous drug charges, she received a life sentence.
Gemena reflected on the time she had with her mother.
“She used to dress nice in heels, silk blouses and kept her hair and nails done,” the woman said, recalling her mom’s swag. “My momma was like that, she didn’t do drugs or alcohol, she was not a slum mom.”
Gloria, who is serving her time at the Homestead Correctional Institution FDC in Florida takes accountability for her crimes but says she does not deserve to have her entire life taken from her.
“I paid my dues so it’s time for me to come home now. I love and miss my family so much.”
According to her attorney, MiAngel Cody, Florida is resistant to criminal justice reform, and we know this all too well. But these obstacles have not stopped Gemena from fighting.
In 2017, when people were advocating for rapper Meek Mill to come home after he went to jail for a parole violation, she raised awareness for her mother’s case. She started ranting in celebrity comment sections on Instagram and created a petition
about her mother’s case which has collected over 8,000 signatures.
“I never used to talk about my mother, I used to be afraid and I didn’t want to be judged. But I got past the pride part and I learned you can’t be afraid to tell people your story.”
Gemena will continue fighting for her mother to come home from prison. #FreeGlo