A national group that represents home healthcare workers has jumped into politics, and one of their first investments is here in Virginia.
Care in Action announced Wednesday they’ll be spending $300,000 to support 12 Democratic candidates for the statehouse -- all women of color.
“Domestic workers, the industry is almost entirely populated by women of color that goes all the way back to its roots to slavery,” says Care in Action Executive Director Jess Morales Rocketto. “And so it’s really important to us to lift up that leadership. That’s what we’ve been doing for over a decade.”
Care in Action advocates for higher wages and benefits for the people who take care of the elderly and disabled in their homes. Policies like higher minimum wage, required paid family leave, and better access to healthcare.
Many domestic workers are excluded from basic labor laws, like the right to unionize. Those exclusions have their roots in federal policies enacted during Jim Crow. Southern lawmakers only agreed to federal worker protections if jobs commonly done by black laborers were excluded.
Many of those issues, including potential raises for home care workers who get paid through Medicaid and Medicare, are at stake this November. All 140 of Virginia’s legislative seats are up for election.
This is only the second time Care in Action has donated money to statehouse races. Last year they invested in Georgia’s Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
