March 8th, 2013 at 11:42AM
Barbara Young, organizer for the National Domestic Workers Alliance, featured in 101 Changemakers Domestic Worker Oral History Project co-editor Dao Tran recently edited 101 Changemakers: Rebels and Radicals Who Changed US History, a people’s history version of the individuals who have shaped our country, for middle school students and up. In the place of founding fathers, presidents, and titans of industry are profiles of those who courageously fought for social justice in the United States, providing students with new ways of understanding how history is written—and made. Dao wrote the profile on Barbara, who was a domestic worker for seventeen years, and spent some time at the book launch event in discussion with her about her journey from working as a bus conductor in Barbados; to caregiving and nannying in New York City; to her current role as national organizer of domestic workers. To watch a video of the event: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrwsDoBjzrg 101 Changemakers: http://www.haymarketbooks.org/hc/101-Changemakers Photo credit: Olivia McClendon and Joshua Davis

Barbara Young, organizer for the National Domestic Workers Alliance, featured in 101 Changemakers

Domestic Worker Oral History Project co-editor Dao Tran recently edited 101 Changemakers: Rebels and Radicals Who Changed US History, a people’s history version of the individuals who have shaped our country, for middle school students and up. In the place of founding fathers, presidents, and titans of industry are profiles of those who courageously fought for social justice in the United States, providing students with new ways of understanding how history is written—and made.

Dao wrote the profile on Barbara, who was a domestic worker for seventeen years, and spent some time at the book launch event in discussion with her about her journey from working as a bus conductor in Barbados; to caregiving and nannying in New York City; to her current role as national organizer of domestic workers.
To watch a video of the event:
101 Changemakers:

Photo credit: Olivia McClendon and Joshua Davis
#books#peoples history#women#Immigrants rights#domestic workers#nanny#nannies#Caregivers
March 4th, 2013 at 7:59AM
Chicago Sun Times covers “Unfinished Business: 21st Century Home Economics” Exhibit, as IL Domestic Worker Bill of Rights, SB 1708, Unfolds Excerpts: “The exhibit is a timely one. Baby boomers are going through caregiving issues with their parents. And soon boomers will be experiencing caregiving needs firsthand. The World Health Organization has estimated that dementia sufferers will top 2 billion by 2050. That would be the worst medical disaster in human history.”“It is a key moment in the campaign,” says Elisa Ringholm, development director of the Latino Union. “[The Domestic Worker Bill of Rights] includes domestic workers in existing labor laws. They will be included in the right to minimum wage. The right to be paid for all hours worked. One day off per week. The right to meal and rest periods. Paid time off. And the right to be free from sexual harassment.” Pictured: Former nanny Sally Velasco, “The Best Babysitter on Earth,”  stands near her caregiving artifact, currently on display at the Jane Addams Hull House Museum. A gift from her young charges, the photo album was presented to Velasco when she retired from caregiving to become a teacher. All of the children in the neighborhood attended her going away party. Photo (c) Sarah Macaraeg
Chicago Sun Times covers “Unfinished Business: 21st Century Home Economics” Exhibit, as IL Domestic Worker Bill of Rights, SB 1708, Unfolds
Excerpts:

“The exhibit is a timely one. Baby boomers are going through caregiving issues with their parents. And soon boomers will be experiencing caregiving needs firsthand. The World Health Organization has estimated that dementia sufferers will top 2 billion by 2050. That would be the worst medical disaster in human history.”

“It is a key moment in the campaign,” says Elisa Ringholm, development director of the Latino Union. “[The Domestic Worker Bill of Rights] includes domestic workers in existing labor laws. They will be included in the right to minimum wage. The right to be paid for all hours worked. One day off per week. The right to meal and rest periods. Paid time off. And the right to be free from sexual harassment.”

Pictured: Former nanny Sally Velasco, “The Best Babysitter on Earth,”  stands near her caregiving artifact, currently on display at the Jane Addams Hull House Museum. A gift from her young charges, the photo album was presented to Velasco when she retired from caregiving to become a teacher. All of the children in the neighborhood attended her going away party. Photo (c) Sarah Macaraeg

#labor#labor rights#women's rights#Immigrants rights#women#Domestic worker#domestic work#domestic workers#Caregivers#caregiver#nanny#housecleaner#working poor#chicago#illinois#peoples history#baby boomers
September 10th, 2012 at 9:20AM

Collected Stories: The Rise of Oral History in Museum Exhibitions

Photo: Chicago History Museum’s Facing Freedom exhibit

By Ron Chew

Museum News, November/December, 2002

There was a time, not so long ago, when the gathering of oral histories—recorded, first-person interviews—was derided as the dubious pursuit of untrained amateurs, whose only skill was the ability to ask questions and turn on a tape recorder. Traditional historians scoffed at oral history’s reliability and usefulness. Archivists cringed at the prospect of having to make space for the storage of tapes and transcripts. Museum professionals, accustomed to working with stoic relics of the past, struggled with the notion of allowing living voices to invade the hallowed exhibition space.

There are still skeptics, but the tide of thinking clearly has changed. Oral history has begun to permeate the museum—having proven its value as a research and organizing tool, a component of exhibitions, and a document worth preserving in the collection archive. “I don’t think oral history is in its full flowering yet,” says Barbara Franco, president and CEO of the Historical Society of Washington, D.C. “I think we’re just beginning to understand why it’s so attractive to our audiences.”

Read More

2 notes #oral history#museum#museums#asian american
September 7th, 2012 at 5:05PM
The Other Mothers of Manhattan

A glimpse into the private world of nannies and the children they watch over.
Source: The New York Times #women#domestic workers#immigrant rights#labor rights#nanny#nannies#caregiver#caregivers
August 2nd, 2012 at 6:55PM
Because “All Work is Sacred” The Chicago Coalition of Household Workers has launched a domestic worker hotline, offering free legal advice, information on workplace rights, and skills training for domestic worker health and safety. Please help spread the word about this important new resource!

Because “All Work is Sacred” The Chicago Coalition of Household Workers has launched a domestic worker hotline, offering free legal advice, information on workplace rights, and skills training for domestic worker health and safety. Please help spread the word about this important new resource!

1 note #chicago#nanny#housecleaner#caregiver#labor rights#immigrant rights
July 22nd, 2012 at 2:35PM
We are the hand that rocks the cradle of humanity. — founding board member, the Chicago Caregivers Association
#nanny#caregiver#domestic work#labor#labor rights#immigration#immigrant rights#women
July 22nd, 2012 at 2:32PM
The Chicago caregivers are organizing! We were in awe seeing not only this banner but hundreds of people at the Chicago Caregivers Association’s festive and inspiring founding meeting.

The Chicago caregivers are organizing! We were in awe seeing not only this banner but hundreds of people at the Chicago Caregivers Association’s festive and inspiring founding meeting.

#immigration#immigrant rights#labor#labor rights#domestic worker#women#nanny#caregiver
June 12th, 2012 at 7:15PM

“They treat us as if we were their property.”

Watch this video featuring the voices of numerous domestic workers—beautifully produced by Cuentame Latino Voices—and sign the petition to support the CA Domestic Worker Bill of Rights.

Source: mycuentame.org #domestic workers#immigrant rights#immigration#women's rights#labor#union#economic justice#social justice#california
May 10th, 2012 at 9:59AM
Nanny/Street Artist Ramiro Gomez Highlights Domestic Workers in Beverly Hills

Nanny/Street Artist Ramiro Gomez Highlights Domestic Workers in Beverly Hills

2 notes Source: http #Ramiro Gomez#street art#los angeles#beverly hills#immigration#immigrant rights#domestic workers
May 3rd, 2012 at 8:38AM
Missouri Home Care Providers Win Right to Form Union