By Cesia Alvarez and Melissa Laratte
Ms. Magazine
We are two immigrant women and professional caregivers. Despite how crucial the role of care workers is for the well-being of our communities, we are highly undervalued.
When crises strike, we turn to our friends, families and sometimes even complete strangers to provide an extra set of caring and supporting hands. Care workers have always played an essential role in our communities, from assisting with child care to providing professional support to the elderly. In a moment of crisis, care work becomes even more valuable, as many of us have learned throughout the global pandemic.
As COVID-19 rages on and our communities continue to face public health, environmental and climate injustices, the caregiving industry is going to become an even more salient part of the fabric of our society. At the moment, our government has a once in a generation opportunity to pass policies that would support fair pay and dignified work conditions for caregivers, and care workers are calling on our lawmakers to invest in our industry so we can continue supporting generations to come.