Domestic workers already lacked contracts, wage protections, and health care benefits. Then, the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
By Acacia Coronado
May 27, 2020
In the still darkness of pre-dawn, Maria rises for another day. Her clock reads 4:30 a.m. She showers and packs her work tools: toys, storybooks, a few snacks. A special candy surprise if it’s Friday. Then, she embarks on a 45-minute journey across Austin to visit her first workplace, a home where four hungry children, ranging in age from 9 months to 6 years, will soon sleepily await her classic egg breakfast tacos with the signature double fold.
From 6 to 8:30 a.m. the children are hers. She cooks breakfast for them as they sing duets of the folklore songs of her childhood growing up in Estado de México. As she dresses them for school, Maria speaks to them in Spanish, preparing them for a bilingual future. Then, the children’s parents return ready for the day, and Maria moves on to her next family.
