We Dream in Black (WeDiB) is an initiative of the National Domestic Workers Alliance and is the organizing home that centers the voices and experiences of Black, Afro-Latina and Afro-descendant domestic workers.
Across the diaspora, our organizing is our power.
The National Domestic Workers Alliance believes that our organizing must be led by and center the lives of Black women because the domestic work industry was built on the subjugation and exploitation of Black women. The history of domestic work in the U.S. is linked to the history of slavery, when enslaved Africans were forced to provide care services for white households. After slavery, those jobs were held by formerly enslaved African women and their daughters. Today, 57,000 to 160,000 Black women work in private homes or for agencies as domestic workers. We want to shape the future in a way that lifts up the Black domestic workforce and brings value and respect to our labor and the history of our struggle.
Our worker organizing is focused on shifting the narrative about Black domestic workers across home care, childcare and house cleaning sectors, while developing the leadership of our base and raising the floor in the care industry through political action.
The ‘Unbossed Agenda’ is We Dream in Black’s organizing directive to give power back to the visions of Black domestic workers, who are U.S. born and immigrants, of multiple gender identities and sexualities, and of varied class backgrounds and abilities—some of the most invisible, essential and unprotected workers in our country.
Are you a nanny, housecleaner, or caregiver and do you identify as Black or of African descent? Sign up for a NDWA membership and join the We Dream in Black community.
Join us at one of our upcoming events or find your local chapter to find an event in your area.