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. Perez is an involved labor and voters rights activist, working with Mujeres Unidas (MUA), California Domestic Workers Coalition, and campaigning for California Senate Bill 1257.

Interviewer:

LeGresley, Megan

Interviewee:

Perez, Adriana

Persons Present:

Perez 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. Majoring 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. The transcript is a verbatim transcription of the recording and was transcribed using a list of proper names and specialized terminology supplied by the interviewer. The interviewee was then given an opportunity to review the transcript and made a few corrections and additions. Those corrections were entered into the text without further editing or review on the part of the Center for Oral History Research staff.

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.

Introducción--Nace en León, México--Se identifica como una latina de clase media/baja--Tiene dos hermanos y una hermana--Su padre era un electricista y su madre una modista--De niña, vive en un apartamento con un patio--Crece en una comunidad tranquila con muchos parientes y bonitos recuerdos de la escuela--Migra a California en el año 2004--Trabaja en un restaurante de comida rápida y empieza a limpiar casas para una compañía--Exposición a asbesto, moho, cosas podridas, y químicos tóxicos; desarrolla alergias--Tiene que usar los productos de sus empleadores aunque tenga problemas con la garganta, la cabeza, los pulmones, y la piel--Tiene que ir al hospital después de doblar ropa con Tide--Usa jabones neutros sin aroma en su cuerpo--Detergentes que usan otras personas le afectan--Lucha con Mujeres Activas (MUA) y la Coalición a través de Zoom aunque tenga tres hijos en casa ahorita--Los incendios y el humo empeoran sus alergias--Va al médico debido a estar embarazada--Deja de trabajar durante la pandemia porque no puede permitirse una niñera o guardería por tiempo completo--La intersección de riesgos ambientales--Quiere que los patrones piensen en los trabajadores como personas con sus mismas familias y que termine el desequilibrio de poder entre trabajadores domésticos y sus empleadores--Falta de beneficios para muchos inmigrantes, incluyendo días de enfermedad, desempleo y discapacidad--Aborto espontáneo debido a exposición química a largo plazo--Trabaja para la SB 1257--Conclusión

Introduction--Born in Leon, Mexico-identifies as a lower-middle class Latina woman--Two brothers and a sister--Parents employed as electrician and designer--Lives in an apartment with a patio as a child--Grows up in a tranquil community with a lot of relatives and good memories of school--Immigrates to California in 2004--Works at a fast food restaurant and starts cleaning houses for a company--Exposed to asbestos, mold, rotten things, and toxic chemicals and develops allergies--Has to use her employers’ products and develops problems with her throat, head, lungs, and skin--Has to go to the hospital after folding clothes with Tide--Uses natural fragrance-free soaps on her body--Affected by the detergents worn by other people--Fights with Mujeres Unidas (MUA) and the Coalition over Zoom, even though she has three children at home right now--Fires and smoke worsen her allergies--Goes to the doctor due to her pregnancy--Stops working during the pandemic as she cannot afford a full-time babysitter or daycare--Intersection of environmental risks--Wants employers to think of workers as people with their own families, and an end to the disequilibrium of power between domestic workers and their employers--Lack of benefits for many immigrants including sick days, unemployment, and disability--Spontaneous abortion due to long-term chemical exposure--Works for SB 1257--Conclusion