Ai-jen Poo, Director of National Domestic Workers Alliance
Some might say Ai-jen Poo’s heart is made of gold because most of her life has been dedicated to bettering the lives of others and speaking out on their behalf. For the past 16 years Poo has been organizing a nationwide movement of nannies, housekeepers and care workers to gain long overdue workers’ rights under the advocacy group National Domestic Workers Alliance.
Those 16 years of hard work are peppered with success stories. Through policy initiatives and lobbying, the organization and Domestic Workers United, which she helped cofound, has led to New York State’s Domestic Workers Bill of Rights and the expansion of federal labor laws to protect 2.5 million home-care workers. The law has paved the way for similar laws in California, Hawaii and Massachusetts. Most importantly, Poo has given domestic workers a voice, dignity and respect on the job, teaching many about the US legal system and its labor protection laws. All of this success is a long way from where Poo started, with a small group of nannies and care workers gathered in a church basement sharing stories and wondering how to effect change. This past September, Poo won a 2014 MacArthur ‘genius’ grant, which she will use to endow a fellowship for domestic workers’ organizing and policy work.
Click here to read the full article in the February/March issue.
