FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 27, 2022
CONTACT: Summer Kim [email protected]
Alma Adams, Nida Allam, Val Applewhite headline new slate of nearly two dozen champions for 62,000 domestic workers in Tar Heel State
CHARLOTTE – Care in Action, which advocates on behalf of nearly 62,000 domestic workers across the Tar Heel State – including home care workers, nannies, and house cleaners – announced their endorsement today of nearly two dozen candidates running for office this year. The endorsed candidates join Cheri Beasley, who earned Care in Action’s endorsement in February in her bid for U.S. Senate.
Today’s endorsements are headlined by Congresswoman Alma Adams, Congressional Candidate Nida Allam, and North Carolina Senate Candidate Val Applewhite, and were unanimously approved by Care in Action North Carolina’s Workers Committee following an extensive process that included thorough reviews of their records and commitments to stand up for domestic workers. Domestic worker leaders are available for interviews upon request.
“We know that so much is on the line this November for our families and for our state. The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed what we’ve known all along: domestic workers need champions who will stand up for them as the workforce that cares for families across North Carolina,” said North Carolina Program Manager Joy Speller. “We’re proud to endorse a full slate of candidates who will fight for the issues important to North Carolina home care workers, nannies, and house cleaners.”
“These candidates understand that domestic workers like myself are essential to North Carolina’s economy,” said Lurika Wynn, home care worker. “I know they will fight every step of the way to protect our rights and dignity as workers. When we’re able to do our jobs with dignity and respect, all North Carolinians can go to work knowing that what’s most important to them – their loved ones and homes – are being cared for.»
Women of color are key to progressive victories and electing candidates who will support all families and workers in policy decisions, including domestic workers and immigrants. In 2020, the domestic worker movement mobilized on a large national scale, contacting millions of voters during election season and helping deliver the White House and control of the U.S. Senate to the Democratic Party.
The pandemic has exacerbated systemic inequities that disproportionately impact Black people, Latinx people, and other people of color and immigrants. This especially impacts the nearly 62,000 domestic workers in North Carolina, the majority of whom are women of color and immigrants. Domestic workers are systematically excluded from worker protections and make an average hourly wage of just $10.31. A growing number of older adults and people with disabilities require in-home care, and many of them rely upon Medicaid’s home- and community-based services (HCBS) to provide it. Relatedly, a growing number of family caregivers struggle with the physical, emotional and financial strain that our underfunded care infrastructure puts upon them.
The full list of candidates endorsed today includes:
U.S. Congress
Alma Adams (NC-12)*
Nida Allam (NC-04)
Barbara Gaskins (NC-03)
North Carolina Senate
Sydney Batch (SD17)*
Val Applewhite (SD19)
Natalie Murdock (SD20)*
Gladys Robinson (SD28)*
Joyce Waddell (SD40)*
North Carolina House of Representatives
Sharon McDonald Evans (HD8)
Linda Cooper-Suggs (HD24)*
Vernetta Alston (HD29)*
Rosa Gill (HD33)*
Maria Cervania (HD41)
Dr. Kimberly Hardy (HD43)
Dr. Frances Jackson (HD45)
Aminah Ghaffar (HD47)
Renee Price (HD50)
Amber Baker (HD72)*
Diamond Staton Williams (HD73)
Carla Catalán Day (HD74)
Carolyn Logan (HD101)*
Carla Cunningham (HD106)*
* denotes incumbents
Care in Action, a 501(c)(4) organization, was founded in 2016 at the request of domestic workers who knew they needed to build political power to advocate for dignity and fairness for this workforce.
Care in Action is the policy and advocacy home for women who care, working on behalf of more than two million domestic workers and care workers across America. Among the fastest-growing sectors in our economy, domestic workers are also among the most vulnerable and undervalued. As a mostly women and majority women of color workforce, this growing constituency consistently and overwhelmingly supports progressive values in American political life. Learn more at www.careinaction.us.