Wednesday, December 7, 2011

What does "help" mean to you?

It's not every day that a major Hollywood movie shines a light on hidden injustice.  As discussed in our previous post, the movie "The Help" brought the lives, work, and struggles of domestic workers to the big screen in an unprecedented way.  Now, the film's producers, Participant Media, have released a new video series which features members of the National Domestic Workers Alliance.  You can watch the video here.

Today, the Washtenaw County Workers' Center, along with other allies in the National Domestic Worker Alliance are launching a new campaign, #BeTheHelp, to give everyone who has been moved by "The Help" a way to be part of improving the lives and working conditions of modern-day domestic workers.

Visit the campaign site and share what "help" means to you in the comments!


Tuesday, September 6, 2011

"The Help"

(¡Español Abajo!)

A review of "The Help" from the point of view of today's workers: the past seems like the present.  
By Meches Rosales

When I first heard about the new movie “The Help,” I was eager to see how domestic workers would be portrayed. I have never seen a movie, especially not one made in Hollywood, with domestic workers as lead characters.
I am a proud domestic worker, originally from Guatemala. In my seven years as a nanny, and even before then in my home country, I have witnessed and experienced for myself the harsh treatment and exploitation that domestic workers often endure. We are isolated, mostly working by ourselves behind closed doors. We are the invisible ones who make it possible for our employers to go to work and enjoy leisure time. We care for the most important elements of our employers’ lives.
Most of the time when we see ourselves on the big screen or on TV, domestic workers are just as invisible and one-dimensional as society believes us to be. “The Help” offered a surprisingly different take.
The move is based on Kathryn Stockett’s book about African American domestic workers and the white homes of 1960s Mississippi in which they toil. We meet Aibileen Clark, a domestic worker, who mourns the death of her son every day and pours her love into the white child she takes care of, as she’s done with 16 other children. We meet Minny, Aibileen’s friend, known for her outspokenness, who often faces the wrath of the white ladies for telling it like it is. We meet Skeeter, a young white woman pursuing a writing career, who befriends Aibileen and Minny. Together, the three set out to document the oral histories and some of the indignities that African American domestic workers suffered in places like Jackson, Mississippi.
Much of “The Help” resonated with my own experience as a nanny in the U.S. I deeply felt the pain of many of the domestic worker characters, from the loss and suffering that comes from not being able to be with their own loved ones while they care for someone else’s loved ones, to feeling powerless.
I’ve listened to my sisters with an open heart, feeling impotent, frustrated, and angry that we are often forced to stay in bad jobs and face racism and discrimination and mistreatment. The same fear that the characters experience is not unlike what many of us feel today. The experience of African American women in the Jim Crow South repeats itself for many immigrant women of color in today’s right-wing, anti-immigrant climate.
Their organizing and activism also resonated with me, the drive to want to do something to change our conditions—not just for ourselves as individuals but for the whole group. When the African American workers in the film had the courage to share and document their life stories, it was as much an act of resistance and breaking the silence as it is today when domestic workers from New York to California organize for power, respect, and the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights. Our stories need to be told. We are the only ones who can make change happen. This is why we organize.

Long History of Our Struggle

For me, as a member of Domestic Workers United, showing the long history of struggle was also critical. Aibileen and her sisters were contemporaries of Rosa Parks and Medger Evers. In our political education classes at DWU, we discuss the important role that domestic workers played in the civil rights movement. Everyone needs to know that history. We must hold our heads up high because the work we do is dignified and because we are standing on the shoulders of the freedom fighters who came before us and paved the way.
Last year DWU saw the fulfillment of our historic six-year campaign to pass the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights in New York state. The only law of its kind in the U.S., it brought domestic workers out of the shadows by guranteeing us the rights and protections we have long been denied, like overtime pay after 40 hours, workers’ compensation, and a guaranteed day off each week.
The history portrayed in “The Help” might seem like a long time ago, but we have only just started to reverse the legacy of exclusion and discrimination. New York was the first step. Next is California. Before long, we will be in more states, and then in the nation’s capital.
Entire families should see this movie and discuss it, especially those who employ domestic workers. It’s important for them to understand some of what we experience and what we feel, so that they can begin to recognize the invaluable contributions we make and the great care we bring to the work.
Like the partnership between Aibileen, Minny, and Skeeter, and the diverse coalition that made the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights a reality, it’s going to take all of us to change the way that domestic work and the people who perform it are treated in our society.
I walked away from “The Help” feeling seen and proud and more committed than ever not to stay silent and to keep working to build the power of domestic workers and all workers.
Meches Rosales lives in New York and joined Domestic Workers United in 2010. Translated from Spanish by Telesh Lopez.


Una Reseña sobre “The Help” (o "La Ayuda") desde el punto de vista “de las trabajadoras de hoy”: Las historias del pasado se parecen a las del presente.

Por Meches Rosales
Mi nombre es Meches Rosales y soy una orgullosa trabajadora del hogar. Soy de origen Guatemalteco y he trabajado como niñera en los últimos siete años. En ese tiempo y muchísimo antes en mi país, yo he sido testigo y he experimentado los malos tratos y la explotación que las trabajadoras del hogar a menudo soportan. Nosotras estamos aisladas, casi todas trabajamos a puerta cerrada y solas. Nosotras somos las invisibles que hacemos posible para nuestros empleadores puedan ir a trabajar y que se puedan ir a divertir. Nosotras cuidamos de lo más importante de la vida de nuestros empleadores.
Cuando oí por primera vez de la película de “Te Help,” Yo estaba ansiosa por ver cómo las trabajadoras del hogar eran retratas. Yo nunca he visto una película, especialmente hecha en Hollywood, con trabajadoras del hogar como las protagonistas. La mayoría de veces cuando nos vemos en la pantalla grande o en la TV, las trabajadoras del hogar somos invisibles y unidimensional como la sociedad cree que somos. “The Help” ofrece una historia completamente diferente.
Recientemente publicada, “Te Help” es una película basada en la novela de Kathryn Stockett sobre las trabajadoras Afro-americanas trabajando en los hogares de familias blancas en los 1960s en Mississippi. Conocemos a Aibileen Clark, una trabajadora del hogar que llora la muerte de su hijo todos los días y derrama su amor en la niña blanca que está cuidando, como lo ha hecho con otros 16 niños. También conocemos a Minny, amiga de Aibileen, conocida por su franqueza, que a menudo enfrenta la ira de las mujeres blancas por decir las cosas como son. También conocemos a Skeeter una joven blanca ejercer una carrera de escritora, se hace amiga de Aibileen y Minny. Juntas, las tres se unen para documentar las historias habladas y algunas de las humillaciones que las trabajadoras afro-americanas han sufrido en lugares como Jackson, Mississippi.
Como trabajadora del hogar, lo más importante para mí sobre "Te Help" es que mucho de lo que se mostró hace eco en mi propia experiencia como niñera en los EE.UU. Sentí profundamente el dolor y el sufrimiento de muchos de los personajes en la película. Desde el dolor que uno siente de no poder estar con sus seres queridos, por estar cuidando a los seres queridos de otra persona y hasta sentir la sensación de impotencia. Yo escuchado a mis compañeras con el corazón abierto sintiéndome impotente, frustrada y enojada. Nosotras nos vemos forzadas a quedarnos en trabajos malos y enfrentarnos a racismo, discriminación y mal trato. El mismo miedo que los personajes de la película sienten nosotras estamos sintiendo ahora. Las experiencias de las mujeres afro-americanas en la época de Jim Crow South se repite para muchas mujeres inmigrantes de color en la extrema derecha de hoy, el clima anti-inmigrante.
Su organización y el activismo también resonó en mí y me a impulso a querer hacer algo para cambiar nuestras condiciones. No solo para nosotras como individuas sino para todo el grupo. Las trabajadoras del hogar afro-americanas en la película tienen el coraje para contar y documentar las historias de sus vidas y eso fue tanto un acto de resistencia y de romper el silencio como lo es hoy, las trabajadores del hogar desde Nueva York hasta California se organizan para tener poder, respeto, y la carta de derechos de las Trabajadoras del Hogar. Nuestras historias deben ser contadas. Somos las únicas que podemos lograr un cambio. Es por eso que nos organizamos.
Para mí como trabajadora del hogar y una miembro de trabajadoras de casa unida el que muestra la larga historia de lucha fue también crítico. Aibileen y sus compañeras fueron contemporáneas de Rosa Parks y Evers Medger. En nuestras clases de educación política en las trabajadoras de casa unidas, se discute el importante papel que las trabajadoras del hogar han desempeñado en el movimiento de derechos civiles. Todo el mundo tiene que saber que la historia, incluidas las trabajadoras del hogar. Debemos mantener la cabeza bien alta porque el trabajo que hacemos es digno y porque estamos de pie sobre los hombros de los luchadores por la libertad que nos precedieron y prepararon el camino.
El año pasado, por primera vez en la historia de los Estados Unidos, las trabajadoras del hogar, con el apoyo de los sindicatos, los empresarios, el clero y las organizaciones comunitarias, logran lo inimaginable. No sólo tenemos el coraje de organizar y también de llevar a cabo una campaña de seis años para aprobar la carta de derechos de las Trabajadoras del hogar en el estado de Nueva York. Es la única carta de derechos de este tipo en los EE.UU. Nos saco de la sombra a las trabajadoras del hogar para garantizarnos los derechos y protecciones que por mucho tiempo nos habían sido negados.
La historia de la película "Te Help" puede parecer que fue mucho tiempo atrás, pero apenas hemos comenzado a revertir el legado de exclusión y discriminación. Nueva York fue el primer paso. El siguiente es California. En poco tiempo, estaremos en más estados y luego en la capital del país.
Es mi opinión que toda la familia debe ver esta película y hablar sobre ella, especialmente los que emplean a trabajadoras del hogar. Es importante para ellos entiendan lo que experimentamos y lo que sentimos, de modo que puedan comenzar a reconocer las valiosas contribuciones que hacemos y el maravilloso cuidado que aportamos a nuestro trabajo. Al igual que la asociación entre Aibileen, Minny, y Skeeter, y las diferentes coaliciones que hizo que la carta derechos de las trabajadoras del hogar fuera toda una realidad, nos hará cambiar el punto de vista social del trabajo del hogar y las personas que lo realizan, así como el trato hacia ellos.
Salí de la película sintiéndome orgullosa y más comprometida que nunca a no quedarme callada y seguir trabajando para construir el poder de las trabajadoras del hogar y de todos los trabajadores.
Meches Rosales se unió a las Trabajadoras de Casa Unidas en el 2010 para ayudar al crecimiento del movimiento de los derechos, respeto y reconocimiento de las trabajadoras del hogar.

Monday, September 5, 2011

Happy Labor Day!

Happy Labor Day!


While I'm sure everyone is enjoying there day off, let's take a moment to remember why so many of us aren't working today:


Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country. (from the Department of Labor)



Friday, June 24, 2011

English as a Second Language (ESL)

¡CLASES DE INGLES!  
Los clases son $15 por 6 semanas, los martes y los miercoles, el 14 de Junio - el 21 de Julio.  6-8 en la noche.  ¡TODOS SON BIENVENIDOS!

Westside Methodist Church
900 S. Seventh Street.
Ann Arbor, MI 48103

Para más información, contactes a Jasmine Franco (734) 680-2263.



Sunday, May 8, 2011

Happy Mother's Day!

Why We Need to Think of Our Mothers as Caregivers

BY TIFFANY WILLIAMS
Originally Posted on the Huffington Post

Instead of a bouquet or greeting card, she'd really appreciate a new respect for the value of care, in all its forms, and a new vision for what we deserve as Americans when it comes to giving and receiving care.

Today, American families celebrate Mother's Day. For centuries, we have venerated mothers for the selflessness and the tender caregiving that allows us to feel safe and to thrive. Beyond the vases of roses, the boxes of chocolate, even the spa gift certificates, we can do more for the caregivers in our families.

There are many forms caregiving relationships that are full of tenderness and intimacy -- not just between mother and child, but between a son and his and aging father, or between the home health aide and the Alzheimer's patient, or between the working woman with a disability and the attendant who helps her get ready in the morning. Comedian Amy Poehler commented on the indispensable role of caregivers at the Time 100 event last week:

I have thought very hard and long about what has influenced me over the past couple of years, and ... it was the women who helped me take care of my children ... who come to my house and help me raise my children. And for you working women who are out there tonight who get to do what you get to do because there are wonderful people who help you at home, I would like to take a moment to thank those people, some of whom are watching their children right now, while you're at this event. Those are people who love your children as much as you do, and who inspire them and influence them and on behalf of every sister and mother and person who stands in your kitchen and helps you love your child, I say thank you and I celebrate you tonight.

Care workers, those who provide the childcare, housekeeping and direct care services that allow us to go to work and support our families, or who allow our loved ones to receive care at home with dignity instead of being institutionalized, need our attention as a nation. Those who aren't lucky enough to work for the Amy Poehlers of the world are often working under strenuous conditions, vulnerable to abuse and burn out. Many workers lack pathways to career advancement and citizenship, compromising working conditions and jeopardizing the quality of care.

Meanwhile, the struggle to find quality, affordable caregiving services becomes more challenging by the year. Even as the economy "recovers" from the destruction caused by Wall Street speculators and tax-evading corporations, budget shortfalls are prompting cuts on the state and federal level to many of the basic human services that we depend on in this country, including Medicaid and Medicare. Some lawmakers are pushing to repeal some of the most promising programs in the new healthcare law that will help our seniors and fellow citizens with disabilities access home care such as the CLASS Act, and have threatened to block Medicaid, which according to the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities would cause "serious hardship."

A burgeoning movement of domestic workers and direct-care workers, along with disability and senior rights advocates, came together this week in Washington, D.C. for the latest meeting of the Caring Across Generations campaign. This multi-organization campaign is led by the National Domestic Workers Alliance (whose director Ai-jen Poo was recently featured in a New York Times article by IPS board member Barbara Ehrenreich), Jobs with Justice, and Hand in Hand: The Domestic Employer's Association.

The meeting brought together dozens of organizations from the disability rights, senior rights, and worker rights worlds, and included a panel discussion with policy experts like Dean Baker and Van Jones. A broad coalition, including the Institute for Policy Studies, has come together to provide leadership to the campaign, which is based on the values of quality, affordable care, dignified and meaningful jobs and the values of inclusiveness and interdependence. In addition to joining the fights to preserve the services and programs that families depend on today, the long-term vision of the campaign includes:

  • Improving the quality of jobs so that these jobs respect the rights of workers who provide this valuable care
  • Providing training and a meaningful career ladder
  • Providing a path to citizenship for undocumented care workers
  • Supporting individuals and families to access and afford quality care, and to address the needs of unpaid family caregivers.

The campaign will be fully launched in D.C. at the first "Care Congress" on July 12. I hope you will join us, and the more than 700 people from all around the country who want to be part of the movement to transform care in the United States.

What mom really needs this Mother's Day isn't a bouquet of flowers or greeting card. It's a new respect for the value of care, in all its forms, and a new vision for what we deserve as Americans when it comes to giving and receiving care.

Friday, April 29, 2011

Read this!

Click HERE for an amazing article about Ai-jen Poo, one of the founders of Domestic Workers United and current Director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance.

Photo Credit: Max Vadukul

Thursday, March 31, 2011

California Domestic Worker Bill of Rights

Les quiero compartir fotos de una conferencia de Prensa en Los Angeles sobre la carta de derechos de trabajadores domesticas en California. ¡Adelante Mujeres!

Wanted to share some photos from the LA Press Conference in Los Angeles for the Domestic Worker Bill of Rights in California. Go wome
n!