National Domestic Workers Alliance

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John,
Let's talk about Black women.

We are highly participatory in our democracy, our economy, and our society. We lead movements and propel our nation forward, creating change that benefits everyone. And we do this while sitting at the epicenter of so many crises: racism, sexism, anti-Black violence, economic and public health emergencies, and more.

Black women work hard for this country, despite the obstacles we face, but this country doesn’t always work hard for us.

It’s beyond time to reimagine what Black liberation looks like. Centering the leadership of Black women and solving for the needs of Black domestic workers, most of whom are women, is critical to helping us get there. Because empowering Black women will free us all.

This is why NDWA's We Dream in Black (WeDiB) works to uplift and support the voices, experiences and leadership of Black women. The ‘Unbossed Agenda’ is our organizing directive [[link removed]] to give power back to the visions of Black domestic workers , who are U.S. born and immigrants, of multiple gender identities and sexualities, and of varied class backgrounds and abilities — some of the most invisible, essential and unprotected workers in our country.

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Since slavery, cleaning homes, taking care of other people’s children, and caring for elders and people with disabilities has been considered Black women’s work. The New Deal, a set of laws that offered economic protections to many American workers, was enacted in the 1930s and excluded domestic and agricultural workers, two overwhelmingly Black occupations, from Social Security, minimum wage, and collective bargaining laws for fear that granting rights to these workers would upset the racial order of the South.

This cruel legacy of oppression and exclusion impacts domestic workers to this day. Black women are employed in every domestic work occupation as nannies, housecleaners, and caregivers. Yet, Black women in essential jobs that keep our nation running, from homecare to healthcare, make 11 to 27 percent less than white men in those same jobs.

People deserve to be recognized for what they do and be treated like any other profession. For way too long we've been left behind because it was mostly Black women and immigrant women who did this work. They didn't think of this work as real work. But I tell people this work is real work.
— Adele, NannyThrough our Unbossed Agenda we have a blueprint for creating a better future [[link removed]] — one where we become a safer, stronger, and more just country. From mutual aid societies to labor rights to the fight for gender and racial justice, when the leadership of Black women is centered, big things happen and everyone wins.

The challenges in front of us are real. But we will continue to push forward. Black domestic workers are guiding the care movement and daring us all to center communities in order to build a society that allows all people to live with dignity and respect.

Thanks for all that you do,

[[link removed]]Jenn Stowe
Executive Director, National Domestic Workers Alliance

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