Working on International Women's Day
What Happens When Mujeres Lead : Shifting Disaster Narratives
International Women’s Day is a paid holiday At the org that I am privileged to be the Executive Director at. That’s a policy I can’t take credit for. It’s a policy that came about when the org was led by men even if a lot of work (most of the work?) was being done by women. My understanding is that the paid holiday came about so that staff would be paid for a day they would spend in the streets marching or at a workshop or other event.
Now the org’s leadership is all women. When I became director , one male peer told me to follow his lead ( I don’t). Upon seeing women being promoted to more leadership roles , another guy said that the org would fall apart under our care (it didn’t - it’s grown). My then partner (now ex) said that I was in over my head (It’s been almost 10 years).
I worked some today while the staff were off. I predominantly worked on Wildfire Recovery stuff : meetings with state and local agencies, reviewing notes from conversations that the orgs Workers’ Health Director had with Altadena tenants including crowdsourced testing results of toxic homes since the feds still won’t release their data (besides telling people to trust them).
Earlier this week the Workers Health Director, Manager of our household worker program and I joined the UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Institute (also led by mujeres) to meet with journalists from the Institute for Journalism and Natural Resources ‘s Southern California Wildfire Institute where we shared data and framing on wildfire response , relief and recovery.
As I prepared for the panel, I turned to the Caribbean/home through Aftershocks of Disaster and Hell Under God’s Orders. I think about how relief is feminized - expected to be short term linked to charity and recovery made masculine - militaristic build build build as fast as you can. We can look to 9-11-01 and Katrina to how notions of community are narrowed - who belongs and who are looters, potential looters and outsider. The second category to be policed and surveilled , while those who belong can flout the rules of occupational health and safety, wage and hour laws. Consideration even if we should rebuild or how is scoffed at.
Last week I helped train over 100 household workers across the state on wildfire clean up health and safety because what isn’t being talked about enough is how Black and Brown workers, migrant workers are getting picked up and hired to clean without the proper protection or hazard awareness - even though it is the law that employers should be doing those things.
Next week I will testify at a joint California State Senate and Assembly Hearing on workers and the wildfires of January 2025 here in Los Angeles. It is a testament to what happens when women lead and respond to the community - when it is burning, when it is in ashes, when it grows and blooms and over and over and over again.
When women lead- well when I lead I overwork so now a glass of wine
PS: Thanks for your patience as it’s been a while since I posted. My elder daughter got married!!! My mom came from NY to LA to surprise her! My boyfriend went to rehab! My younger daughter is getting into colleges!! And ICE has been popping off in LA. So shit’s been busy
First off, congrats to your daughter!
Second, one thing I didn't know about until recently was the extent to which undocumented workers were hired for rescue efforts and clean up around ground zero after 9/11, yet were frozen out of getting help for the health effects.
Third, I don't want to paint with a broad brush but the workplaces I've been a part of that were led by women tended to be the best to work at.
thank you for writing about the things that "aren't talked about enough" and sharing your work with us!