ROMA and the Road to Equality for Domestic Workers

(l to r): Nely Galan, Yalitza Aparicio (and her translator), Marina de Tavira and Monica Ramirez, NDWA’s Gender Justice Campaign Director

As a global platform, the Academy Awards® can provide a unique opportunity to create awareness and change around important issues. For instance, last year’s Best Foreign Language Film Oscar® winner, A Fantastic Woman, not only gave a face and a voice to transgender people all over the world, it also helped raise visibility for a gender identity bill in Chile, allowing transgender Chileans the right to change their name and gender marker on official documents.

For domestic workers, securing dignity, respect and rights in the workplace is a daily fight, and ROMA has helped them in their everyday battle. In partnership with the National Domestic Workers Alliance (NDWA) in the U.S., and Centro de Apoyo y Capacitación para Empleadas del Hogar (CACEH) and Semillas in Mexico, we’ve been hosting screenings of the film, which have already reached more than 2,000 domestic workers.

Domestic workers unite

Our campaign has also helped Ai-jen Poo (who spoke to NPR earlier this month about the campaign) and her team at NDWA bring visibility to the first National Domestic Workers Bill of Rights. Marcelina Bautista, general director for CACEH, also spoke recently at a labor rights conference for domestic workers in Mexico City (as featured in the LA Times).

(top) Rashida Jones, Eva Longoria pose with the NDWA domestic worker leaders and staff including Monica Ramirez, Alicia Garza, & Jess Morales Rocketto) (bottom row) Norma Palacios Trabamala & Marcelina Bautista from CACEH & Ai-Jen Poo from the NDWA grace Oscar’s red carpet; Eva Longoria chats with Guillermina Castellanos, domestic worker leader from San Francisco

Both Ai-jen and Marcelina were guests of Cuarón’s at the Oscars®, during which the NDWA also held a red carpet event co-hosted by Tarana Burke, Diane Guerrero, Rashida Jones, Eva Longoria, Olga Segura and other inspirational, change-making leaders.

On March 8, ROMA actress and Academy Award® nominee Yalitza Aparicio will be a keynote speaker during a UN International Women’s Day event. To see Participant’s coverage, tune in to our social channels (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram), and check out Aparicio and fellow Oscar® nominee Marina de Tavira’s appearance on ABC’s Nightline to hear more of their thoughts about the importance of the film to domestic workers.

It was an incredibly exciting night – but the work’s not over! Be sure to keep up with our Participant social channels (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) for other important developments with the campaign.

What you can do:

Join the NDWA text loop to stay up-to-date on the issues portrayed in our Oscar-winning film! Text “ROMA” TO 97779.

Recommend the NDWA membership program to Domestic Workers in your life. It’s $5 a month. Benefits include dental discounts, prescription discounts, vision discounts, life insurance and NDWA workers rights resources.