AOC & Yalitza Aparicio Join Forces to Fight for Domestic Workers

What happens when two inspiring and powerful Latinas join forces? Beautiful and life-changing things will occur. That is what happened yesterday when Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and actress Yalitza Aparicio met up in Washington D.C. to discuss the rights of domestic workers. 

The image of these two incredible Latinas hit Instagram like a bolt of lightning when Aparicio posted the picture on her account. The Academy Award-nominated actress captioned her post by writing, ‘When fighting for the rights of domestic workers, the struggle is not only for them, it is also fought so that their children can have a decent future.’ These inspiring words expressed by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez were etched forever in my heart. I had the honor of meeting this strong, talented, and brave woman who works every day to improve the social conditions in her country. Thanks to our meeting, we were able to listen and share our point of view on the rights of domestic workers. Thanks to @aoc and her amazing team for opening the doors of their offices in Washington, D.C.!”

Fue un honor conocerte, @YalitzaAparicio. Eres una inspiración por mujeres y trabajadores en el mundo.

Gracias por la conversación – juntos luchamos por los derechos de trabajadores del hogar. 💜🏠 https://t.co/rhv2Y54ktP

— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) February 26, 2020

Rep. Ocasio-Cortez retweeted the picture and wrote, “It was an honor to meet you, @YalitzaAparicio. You are an inspiration for women and workers in the world. Thanks for the conversation — together, we fight for the rights of domestic workers.”

In the months after Aparicio scored her Oscar nomination for Best Actress in Alfonso Cuarón’s 2018 film Roma, in which she plays an indigenous maid and nanny, the Oaxaca native has been incredibly vocal about bringing attention to indigenous rights, as well as, domestic workers. 

So, it made perfect sense when, in 2019, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) named Aparicio Goodwill Ambassador for the indigenous peoples for a two-year term. It’s a title that she has taken very seriously and has taken her all around the world for various speaking engagements. 

Rep. Ocasio-Cortez is just as passionate about advocating for domestic workers because she knows exactly what these women and their families go through every day. 

“My mom was a domestic worker — she cleaned houses to support our family,” the New York representative shared on social media. “As a little girl, I grew up reading books on other people’s staircases. I did homework on other people’s dinner tables. Today, as a Congresswoman, I’m proud to cosponsor the Domestic Worker Bill of Rights.”

If the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights Act gets passed by the Senate, the House, and eventually signed into law by the president, it would enhance the rights of domestic workers, and for other purposes, including mending federal labor laws to include domestic workers. According to the bill, “there are an estimated 2,500,000 domestic workers across the United States working in the homes of people of the United States to provide home and personal care, child care, and house cleaning services.”