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Let’s Learn about Latina Equal Pay Day

“Indeed, given that this is the last “Equal Pay Day” observance of the year, Latinas must typically work longer than … everyone. This disparity hurts not only Latinas, but also the families and communities they support.” – #LatinaEqualPay Day

When is it?

• 2021: October 21st
• 2022: December 8 (notice that this is much WORSE)
• 2023: October 5th

Read:

• My Name is Celia (ages 5-8)
• Dolores Huerta (ages 6-9)
• Tía Isa Wants A Car (ages 3-7)

Discuss:

• Read & discuss the web comic On a Plate: A Short Story About Privilege with your kids.

The United States was built on a foundation of entitlement to cheap labor and fossil fuels. Our government has manipulated and occupied other countries to sustain this greed. How has the consumption of US citizens and corporations impacted people from what is currently called Central and South America?

• What’s the difference between open borders and closed borders?
• What is circular migration and why have people living in very hot, cold, or desert climates used seasonal migration to survive since the beginning of humanity?
• How do closed borders inspire people who live in stable climates to look down on migration and criminalize undocumented migrants?
• What impact has climate change had on people living in what is currently called the Central and South Americas?
• What is xenophobia and Latino Threat? How do employers take advantage of this stigma to extract free and cheap labor from Latina workers in the US?
• What unpaid or uncompensated social and emotional labor are Latinas & Latinx expected take on that white women and Latino men are not?
• What ideas about Latinx people are we clinging to, that we inherited from the stories around us? Which do we need to let go of to acknowledge that the Latinx identity is an integral foundation of our society?

Take Action:

• Brainstorm as a family: What contributions can our family make in disrupting this cycle?
• Sign this petition to tell Congress to close the wage gap for for Latinas

Additional resources to dig deeper into this topic:

• Kids Stories For Women’s Equal Pay Day
• Why Border Enforcement Backfired
• Kids books on immigration & borders