California Domestic Workers Coalition

Justin Ebrahemi

Activists and ecofeminists have discussed the parallels between the violence of women, working class migrant communities and nature for decades. Humankind’s harmful practices against nature are not unlike those perpetrated by capitalism against the laborers who work the land, advocates say.

The crossroads between land and laborers might be reaching a watershed moment in San Francisco: In 2021 labor rights advocates hailed a new local measure that makes it easier for domestic workers to take paid sick leave. And just this past August, the owner of one of the city’s most prominent taquerias launched a campaign to support farm workers’ voting rights.

On Sept. 24 at Dance Mission Theater, the intersections between labor rights, environmental protection and women’s rights are brought to the stage in a new multidisciplinary theater work, Our Work, Our Dignity. The performance showcase is the culmination of a 2018 collaboration between Dance Mission and Healthy Bodies, Healthy Minds, a program whose mission is to create healing and empowering spaces for female domestic workers through leadership development, yoga and performance opportunities.