Ai-jen Poo
Domestic work makes all other work possible
Perhaps at no other time in recent history have we experienced how essential care, paid or unpaid, is to us all. With economies grinding to a near halt across the world, we have come to a collective realization that care work (particularly child care and family caregiving) makes all other work possible. Ai-jen Poo founded the National Domestic Workers Alliance and Caring Across Generations to fundamentally shift the way we respect, recognize and protect the rights of nearly 2.5 million domestic care workers in the U.S. Thanks to their efforts, 10 U.S. states have passed a Domestic Worker Bill of Rights, guaranteeing overtime pay and sick leave for the workers who care for our loved ones, clean our homes, and much more. Domestic workers are quickly becoming the heart of the 21st century labor movement.
Impact
Building a movement of 350K+ people led by powerful domestic workers mobilized across the U.S.
Successfully securing a $400 billion investment in care infrastructure as part of the Biden administration 2021 job & infrastructure plan.
Passed Domestic Worker Bill of rights in 10 U.S. states and currently working to introduce a similar national bill.
Powerfully lifting up the voices of domestic workers in the #MeToo movement to say #TimesUp, notably at the Oscars, Sundance Festival, Golden Globes Awards, and more.
Interesting fact from Ai-jen:
In 2019, Ai-jen co-founded Supermajority with Cecile Richards, former president of Planned Parenthood, and Alicia Garza, co-founder of Black Lives Matter among others. The group is building the political power of women across the U.S. to create a multiracial, intergenerational movement for women’s equity. Their main motivating question? Women are the supermajority in the U.S. So why doesn't the country look like it?
