John —

Happy December, Friends!

As the year quickly comes to an end, we wanted to take a moment to celebrate the many wins supporters like you helped make possible for our team at We Dream in Black (WeDiB), NDWA’s home for Black domestic workers and our organizing work.

In May, we launched our Unbossed Black Immigrant Film Series. The series has deeply amplified the demands of our Unbossed: A Black domestic worker agenda, with the goal of transforming domestic work, creating infrastructure for thriving Black communities, and disrupting harm.

In September, we welcomed our new Black Organizing Director Allison Julien, previously co-Director of WeDiB New York. Allison is a native of Barbados who emigrated to New York and did domestic work for over two decades. Our team is incredibly lucky to be led by her.

As Allison transitioned into her new role, we celebrated our 5th year anniversary and held the annual We Dream in Black Organizing Institute featuring special guests, including the cast from the feature documentary Through the Night.

In October we celebrated Dorothy Bolden Day, commemorating the legacy of domestic worker and organizer Dorothy Bolden, founder of the National Domestic Workers Union of America. In honor of her work, along with the sacrifices of domestic workers everywhere, a series of murals were erected in Atlanta, Georgia. In addition, several We Dream in Black chapters have organized and won proclamations from their city legislators that make Dorothy Bolden day an officially recognized holiday. Thank you to our members and organizers for making wins like this come true!!!

Currently, we are wrapping up Part II of our Black Immigrant Study, in partnership with the Institute for Policy Studies, for our report Notes from the Storm. This study will capture data from Black immigrant domestic workers residing in Massachusetts, Miami-Dade, Florida, and New York City, who were impacted by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Our chapters have celebrated major legislative wins throughout this year including:

• the establishment of the Harris County Essential Workers Board (HCEWB) in Texas, the first of its kind in the U.S. to be comprised entirely of frontline workers;
• inclusion for domestic workers in New York's Human Rights Law (after a three year fight); and
• inclusion of funding to raise the rates for Home and Community Based Services and Intermediate Care Facilities, and
• a wage passthrough for the direct care workers employed in those programs, in North Carolina’s state budget for FY 21-23

After three years of service, the NDWA Dorothy Bolden Fellowship held by June Barrett and Shechel Williams will conclude. In their time at NDWA, June and Shechel have represented domestic workers at the White House, gave testimony at international conferences, and facilitated a panel discussion with scholar and activist Angela Davis at their latest History Cafe Monday Night Live. We are so honored to be in the presence of June and Shechel and to learn from their visionary leadership.

The way was paved for us by Black women activists like Geraldine Miller, Melnea Cass, Dorothy Bolden, and many more. Our members are the people that give us the strength to continue the work of organizing everyday. And a big thank you for all YOUR support for We Dream in Black.

We are sending everyone health, love, and power in this season.

Here’s to 2022.

Onward,

We Dream in Black Team
National Domestic Workers Alliance