Alfonso Cuarón’s film Roma was nominated for 10 Academy Awards and took home three of those nominations Sunday night, including Best Director and Best Foreign Language Film. Elsewhere in Los Angeles, domestic workers gathered at a red carpet event to celebrate the film and its main character, Cleo, who they say has thrust their stories into the national spotlight.
“It’s so rare to see a story or a movie about a domestic worker,” said Rosa Sanluis of the National Domestic Workers Alliance, a leader in the movement to win protections and dignity for the nation’s 2 million housekeepers, nannies, and other home workers. “I think Roma makes the struggles of the domestic worker visible. Behind closed doors, we are very vulnerable to exploitation.”
On the Oscar stage, presenters and winners similarly used their platform for the cause of domestic workers, who are mostly immigrants and women of color. Their work is often unseen, but vital to the everyday lives of many. “This beautiful, intimate film, one that gives a voice to the voiceless,” said presenter José Andrés, “reminds us of the understanding and compassion that we all owe to the invisible people in our lives, immigrants and women who move humanity forward.”
The message of solidarity with immigrants quite literally crossed languages. The chef’s co-presenter, Mexican actor Diego Luna, exclaimed, “Ya se puede hablar español en los Oscars. Ya nos abrieron la puerta y no nos vamos a ir,” or, “It’s possible to speak Spanish at the Oscars now. They finally opened the door for us, and we’re not going anywhere.”
The same can be said for Roma star Yalitza Aparicio, who for her exquisite performance as domestic worker Cleo became the first indigenous Mexican woman to be nominated for a Best Actress Oscar. “There are still so many characteristics that aren't reflected on screen,” she said, “and the fact of sharing this category with women who are mostly white—well, it's flattering to be in that category."
Despite playing essential roles in homes and economies, domestic workers are still excluded from important workplace protections. Working with Domestic Workers director Ai-jen Poo, Democratic leaders Sen. Kamala Harris of California and Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington have created the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights, which will “guarantee domestic workers the dignity, benefits, and legal protections they deserve.”
On Sunday night, domestic workers took a short break from their fight to celebrate seeing themselves on the big screen. Doris Tapia, a nanny originally from Peru, was among the women honored at the Domestic Workers event, “exchanging the sneakers she wears when she takes care of children in New York for a pair of high heel shoes.” She said she expected to watch Roma win something (she was right), but it didn’t matter in the end anyway. “To me it is already a champion.”