Woman hopes race raises awareness of issues facing day laborers
03/01/2006
Via the Stamford Advocate
STAMFORD -- Ingrid Fernandez is not related to any of Stamford's day laborers, but she calls them her boys.
Many of her friends are day laborers and she often drops by the labor pickup zone on the East Side to talk to them. She uses her knowledge of English and social services to help them any way she can, such as accompanying them to court when they claim their employers did not pay them properly.
The Stamford mother is scheduled to fly this morning to California to participate in a cross-country race that aims to raise awareness about day laborers and the issues they face. Fernandez said she volunteered to attempt the 3,000-mile race to represent Connecticut's day laborers and ensure the runners will pass through Stamford.
"If they don't come by here, they won't know about our guys. They won't know about our problems," said Fernandez, 41, a native of Honduras who works as a pharmacy technician. "Now they will know. I'm letting them know about my people."
Issues surrounding day laborers have been at the forefront of the nation's heated immigration debate. There have been protests for and against laborers -- mostly Hispanic men without proper immigration documents -- throughout the country, including in Stamford.
The National Day Laborer Organizing Network in California is sponsoring the race, which will start in California on Saturday, pass through Washington, D.C., and finish in New York City in a couple of months. About a dozen runners, including Fernandez, will attempt to run or walk the distance, and will be joined by many other day laborer advocates along the way, said Chris Newman, legal coordinator for the network.
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Via the Stamford Advocate
STAMFORD -- Ingrid Fernandez is not related to any of Stamford's day laborers, but she calls them her boys.
Many of her friends are day laborers and she often drops by the labor pickup zone on the East Side to talk to them. She uses her knowledge of English and social services to help them any way she can, such as accompanying them to court when they claim their employers did not pay them properly.
The Stamford mother is scheduled to fly this morning to California to participate in a cross-country race that aims to raise awareness about day laborers and the issues they face. Fernandez said she volunteered to attempt the 3,000-mile race to represent Connecticut's day laborers and ensure the runners will pass through Stamford.
"If they don't come by here, they won't know about our guys. They won't know about our problems," said Fernandez, 41, a native of Honduras who works as a pharmacy technician. "Now they will know. I'm letting them know about my people."
Issues surrounding day laborers have been at the forefront of the nation's heated immigration debate. There have been protests for and against laborers -- mostly Hispanic men without proper immigration documents -- throughout the country, including in Stamford.
The National Day Laborer Organizing Network in California is sponsoring the race, which will start in California on Saturday, pass through Washington, D.C., and finish in New York City in a couple of months. About a dozen runners, including Fernandez, will attempt to run or walk the distance, and will be joined by many other day laborer advocates along the way, said Chris Newman, legal coordinator for the network.
Click here to continue reading story
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