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. From Coatepec, Guatemala, Evelyn Alfaro is a 40 year old Latina woman living in San Francisco the past eleven years. She is a member of the California Domestic Workers Coalition, and Mujeres Unidas y Activas (United Active Women). She describes the health effects of working in the industry of domestic care, and the under-regulation of pesticides and pollution in Guatemala.

Interviewer:

Encinas, Abraham

Interviewee:

Alfaro, Evelin

Persons Present:

Alfaro and Encinas

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 Abraham Encinas, a graduate student researcher, for the Center for the Study of Women, and PhD student in English, UCLA. Abraham’s dissertation focuses on novels of dictatorship in 20th century Latinx and Asian American literature.

Processing of Interview:

The interviewer prepared for the interview by reading a pre-interview questionnaire completed by the narrator. The interview was conducted in Spanish, while the timed log is in English.

Length:

1 hr

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.

Born in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala as one of seven children—Father works as a carpenter, mother is a homemaker, and they also cultivate corn—Immigrates to the U.S. in 2009 and currently lives in San Francisco—Desire to raise awareness about the significance of domestic work and the dangers of using toxic products in this field—Use of toxic products for tending corn fields in Guatemala and lack of protective gear—Recalls father working with toxic products when painting houses which may have affected his health—Adverse reactions to toxic products when she first began domestic work and lack of protective measures—Negotiates with employers about the use of green products—Discusses work with Mujeres Unidas y Activas (MUA) and efforts to promote use of green products in domestic work—MUA’s focus on immigration and worker’s rights and domestic violence issues—Current role in MUA’s SB 1257 campaign—Feels proudest of being able to spread awareness about importance of domestic work—Effects of the coronavirus pandemic on domestic workers and lack of protections—Need for companies, employers, and all individuals to value domestic workers and support their rights.