María López isn’t allowed to vote in the US: she’s Mexican. But that won’ prevent her to knock doors on Saturday the 27th of October to ask Latinos in her neighborhood to vote. “We, the undocumented need members of our community to take part in the election, because we aren’t treated as human beings”, says this woman in her forties who arrived to the first Texas town in 2001 with a tourist visa.

Knocking doors is just a small part of the janitor’s activism. With coworkers also members of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), she went on strike during almost a month in July to defend their social benefits. (…)

“Employers know we do a tough work and no anyone is OK to do it for $8.35 an hour without preparing to retire. They should consider our demands. Or prepare to pay much more. But we had to stop working for almost a month before getting a $1 rise on four years”.

“THIS IS NOT THE AMERICAN DREAM”

With inflation, it’s likely that this additional dollar won’t help María, her partner Gastón Izaguirre (who’s a construction worker) and her nine years-old daughter, Shiomara. “We don’t save, we don’t go out on week-ends except to go to church, and we don’t go on vacation”. (…)

Goals María had set for herself before leaving –saving to buy a house and a car in Mexico- seem beyond reach. “Workers do not thrive here. The rich are richer and the poor poorer. I do not advice Mexicans to emigrate, even though I wouldn’t like working hard in Mexico fearing for my security”.

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But Shiomara is American. She’s got only good marks, want to become a veterinarian, start ballet and gym on top of karate. “I brought her to the protests to show her how you defend your rights and give her an incentive to do better than us, comments María, who wants a second kid. We fight for her. To bring food to the table every day. Even if there’s always the risk of being parted from her”.
 

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