Yoshi Her, son of Hmong refugees and SEIU HCMN member
I was born in the United States, but my parents were not. As Hmong refugees, they migrated from Laos to a refugee camp in Thailand before they came to the United States. During what was known as “The Secret War” in Laos, the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) recruited indigenous Hmong people to fight […]
Teresa DeLeon, immigrant from the Philippines and member of SEIU 1199NW
When my father first arrived in the U.S., he slept on his cousin’s couch in a one-bedroom apartment. At night, he would sneak into the bathroom to cry because he missed his family. Later, my mother and younger sisters joined him, but as a toddler, I was left with my Lola (grandmother) in the Philippines. […]
Mery Davis, home care worker and SEIU 1199 member
I have very few photos from my life before I arrived in America. At some point, I had a picture of my sisters and me when they visited Honduras after my first child was born. But when I started working in America, someone robbed me and took my pocketbook where I had the photo. That loss didn’t keep me from having a good life here though.
Marlyn Hoilette, immigrant from Jamaica and SEIU 1199 member
I am one of seven siblings. Three of us live in Florida and four in New York. Two of my brothers work in transportation in New York City, and two of my sisters are nurses, like me. The oldest of us is about to retire. My mom says she has no regrets; she can retire […]
Markita Blanchard, public school janitor from Detroit, Michigan and SEIU Local 1 member
I had a fairytale childhood growing up on the westside of Detroit. My three brothers and I live in the same house we were raised in and where we now care for our 93-year-old mother. Throughout my teenage years, I was surrounded by people who, on a daily basis, said that “Mexicans came to this […]
Maria Nuno-Estrada, first-generation immigrant and Workers United member
The American dream—an ethos that many aspire to, yet struggle to attain. For some, it is a basic hope of being able to sleep peacefully at night, awake in the morning, find opportunity to work, provide for our families, put food on the table, have access to electricity and running water, and ensure our children […]
Bobby Dutta, immigrant from India and SEIU Local 1000 member
I was born and raised in India and arrived in the U.S. as a teenager during the late 1970s. My family separation story began when I was 9 years old. My grandmother, who lived in Scotland at the time, got sick, so my mother decided to leave India to take care of her. She intended […]
