Series:

Chemical Entanglements: Oral Histories of Environmental Illness

Topic:

Social Movements

Environmental Illness

Biographical Note:

Interviewed for the UCLA Center for the Study of Women’s Chemical Entanglements: Oral Histories of Environmental Illness series. Member of the California Domestic Workers Coalition (Coalición de Trabajadores), an organization that advocates for the rights of domestic workers such as caretakers and housecleaners.

Interviewer:

LeGresley, Megan

Interviewee:

Alcala, Raquel

Persons Present:

Alcalá and LeGresley

Place Conducted:

The interview was conducted using the Zoom video conferencing platform.

Supporting Documents:

Records relating to the interview are located in the office of the UCLA Library’s Center for Oral History Research.

Interviewer Background and Preparation:

This interview was conducted by Megan LeGresley, an undergraduate student researcher, for the Center for the Study of Women, UCLA; Major in Economics and Political Science. She was a member of the 2018-2019 Chemical Entanglements Undergraduate Student Group.

Processing of Interview:

The interviewer prepared for the interview by reading a pre-interview questionnaire completed by the narrator.

Length:

.75 hrs

Language:

Spanish

Copyright:

Regents of the University of California, UCLA Library.

Audio:

Series Statement:

Chemical Entanglements: Oral Histories of Environmental Illness is a collection of interviews with over seventy individuals living in the U.S. and Canada whose family history, occupation, art practice, or activism have brought them into direct contact with illness experience and disability related to chronic, low-dose exposure to toxicant chemicals. The procurement of this collection (from March 2019 through September 2020) was sponsored by the UCLA Center for the Study of Women under the directorship of Rachel C. Lee, with interviews conducted by six undergraduates, five graduate students, two career staff, and two faculty members at CSW.

Note:

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Primera descripción de su trabajo como limpiadora de casas y también su trabajo con la Coalición--Problemas con su pulmón y neumonía por causa de químicos--Trabaja en casas que estaban en foreclosure y casas muy sucias con moho--Le pagaban poco por su trabajo--La importancia del seguro medico especialmente para los trabajadores más jóvenes--Infancia saludable en México--Papá trabajaba en agricultura y en un restaurant mientras mamá mantenía una casa industriosa y naturalmente limpia--Busca otro trabajo por razones de salud más que financieras--Usa inhalador, antibióticos, y una mascarilla como tratamiento y protección--Piensan que la neumonía recurrente puede ser coronavirus--Trabaja en una cocina de un restaurant después de perder su trabajo de cuidar niños por la pandemia--Se une a la Coalición para elevar su voz--Orgullosa de su trabajo y su fuerza--No piensa que los médicos la tratan de manera diferente debido a su identidad como latina pero sin embargo el problema principal es cómo pagar--Diferentes problemas para las trabajadores del pasado y los del futuro quienes están más informadas--Reacción a los insecticidas--Llamada a acción para los oyentes--Conclusión

First description of her work as a housecleaner and also her work with the Coalition--Problems with her lung and pneumonia because of the chemicals--Works in houses that have been foreclosed and that are thus very dirty and often have mold--Paid little for her work--Importance of health insurance especially for younger workers--Healthy childhood in Mexico--father worked in agriculture and in a restaurant while her mother ran an industrious and naturally clean household--Wants to change work for health reasons rather than financial ones--Uses an inhaler, antibiotics, and mask as treatment and protection--Some think her recurring pneumonia could be coronavirus--Works in a restaurant kitchen after losing her childcare work due to the pandemic--Joins the Coalition to elevate her voice--Proud of her work and her strength--Doesn’t think she is treated differently because of Latina identity but nonetheless the principal problem is paying for the doctor--Different problems for workers in the past and workers in the future who are more informed--Reacts to insecticides--Call to action for listeners--Conclusion