Durazo, Maria Elena

Metadata

Abstract

An oral history with Maria Elena Durazo. This interview was conducted for the Women, Politics, and Activism Since Suffrage Oral History Project for California State University, Fullerton, and the Center for Oral and Public History. The purpose of this interview was to gather information regarding Durazo’s union activism and political career in Los Angeles. Specifically, this interview discusses Durazo’s childhood and family background, one of eleven children, the daughter of farmworkers; how she worked in the fields as a child; the early role modeling of her social activist brother in the 1960s; early bouts of activism while attending St. Mary’s College; how the girls and boys were treated differently in her family; how Durazo started in organizing with the International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union, fighting for amnesty; how la migra was always a challenge for workers, but motivated her work toward worker’s rights; working in organizing and going to law school at night; participating in strikes against ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement]; her fight to have HERE’s [Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees] union meetings translated into Spanish; organizing nonunion workers into UNITE HERE, and leading a massive, protracted labor campaign against the New Otani Hotel in Los Angeles; how she was elected to the national executive board for UNITE HERE, transitioning from the local to national level; what it was like being the first Latina to represent a major union in Los Angeles; serving on the national AFL-CIO immigration committee, as well as the AFL-CIO Labor Federation; transitioning back to UNITE HERE as a national officer in order to work further on immigration issues; serving as national director of the Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride, in order to change the social perception of immigrants; and finally, discusses becoming national co-chair of Barack Obama’s presidential campaign committee.

Metadata

Abstract

An oral history with Maria Elena Durazo. This interview was conducted for the Women, Politics, and Activism Since Suffrage Oral History Project for California State University, Fullerton, and the Center for Oral and Public History. The purpose of this interview was to gather information regarding Durazo’s union activism and political career in Los Angeles. Specifically, this interview discusses Durazo’s role as national co-chair of the Obama for President Campaign Committee, including her personal endorsement of Obama, separate from the union; her role as chair of the UCLA Labor Center Advisory Committee and continual fights with Governor Schwarzenegger for funding; Durazo’s campaign for California State Senate in the 24th District; comments how there are no Latinas serving in the California State Senate currently; advice she gives to both women and men in organizing and balancing family; how she has been treated as a woman, both in organizing and running for office; describes her leadership style as a matter of respect for others; discusses challenges of being an organizer, particularly forging connections; how her family responded to her organizing work and run for state senate; why she considers herself an organizer rather than an activist; why she considers herself a feminist; how politics were demonstrated by her parents; what unique contributions women bring to politics and organizing; why organizing is so important to her; and finally, what advice she would give to a women interested in organizing work.