Next in Controversial Opinions: Amnesty for the families of essential workers who perished

 RantWoman reprints verbatim from the National Day Laborers Organizing Network

Today, April 28, Workers Memorial Day, is a moment to pause to remember and commemorate those lost during this pandemic.  And more, it must be a moment to try to make right the wrongs committed to our sisters and brothers across the country – if not for those who have died, then for their families and loved ones.      Please read this piece by two of our NDLON Co-Executive Directors, and share with your family and friends.  And if you can, join us right now for our special program dedicated to the many lives of workers lost to the pandemic.    Read the whole piece in English and Spanish here   Also join us on Radio Jornalera right now!   An exceprt from, “600 Crosses”:    “Thirteen months ago, as a new virus emerged and spread fear across the nation, a new term also appeared: essential worker.” The term was coined by the Department of Homeland Security, an agency that had been trying to terrorize immigrant workers into leaving the country.  But the term took hold more broadly, and from one day to the next, the idea of essential workers became part of our shared vocabulary.   While the rest of us took shelter in our homes, essential workers went out each day to protect the community’s health and well-being. They took the risks that enabled the rest of us to live in comfort and safety. They received praise and gratitude.   Of course, all workers whose families depend on them are essential. And all work is essential for those who need income to survive. And the jobs “essential workers” perform have always been essential. It was only in the harsh light of the pandemic that we understood, briefly, how much we needed them.   The virus has challenged the proposition that in this country, all workers—all people—are treated as equals. It was a test that we failed as a society. We did not always protect the ones who faced the greatest danger of sickness to keep the rest of us safe. We did not protect the vulnerable. We were unable to keep our elders safe.   To repair what is wrong, much must be done, but we can start by seeking some semblance of justice for the families the fallen workers left behind.   We propose this. An immediate amnesty for the surviving immigrant family members of those who perished while their work was deemed essential but illegal. Those who have died as undocumented workers—those who, outrageously, were given government papers only in the form of a death certificate after they stopped breathing—cannot benefit from authorized status.   So let us give it to their sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, husbands and wives, who continue to make up part of our national family. Anything less would enshrine a moral failure, a form of moral death for a country that once told itself a story that the source of its strength came from the people who arrived and built a better future here.   We owe it to their families, and we owe it to our collective family, to properly grieve during this shameful juncture of history and to allow our mourning to give way to a new chapter of renewed hope.”   All human life is essential.  Our leaders should act accordingly.     #AllLaborIsEssential #DALE Sincerely,   Pablo Alvarado Co-Director of NDLON