White House honors 2 Pinoys

CHICAGO – Myrna Baldonado of Chicago, Illinois wants to raise the salary of caregivers, including the grant of overtime pay and vacation leaves for live-in caregivers.

Catherine Eusebio of Fremont, California wants to promote change by empowering the youth to lead.

Baldonado and Eusebio are two Filipinos among the 15 Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) women who will be honored as “Champions of Change” at the White House on Monday.

The ceremony is part of the White House’s observance of AAPI Heritage Month, which recognizes Asian American, native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander women for their extraordinary commitment to create a more equal, safe and prosperous future for their communities and the country.

“These 15 women represent the strength and diversity of the AAPI community. These leaders – in business, advocacy, philanthropy, sports, the arts, and academia – are wonderful examples for young women across the country,” said Valerie Jarrett, senior adviser to the President and chair of the White House Council on Women and Girls.

“As we celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month this May, we pay tribute to the many AAPI women – from Bernice Pauahi Bishop to Congresswoman Patsy Mink to Sunita Pandya Williams – who have shaped the story of America,” said Tina Tchen, chief of staff to the first lady and executive director of the White House Council on Women and Girls.

Baldonado began her work as a caregiver for the elderly and disabled when she migrated here in 2007. The unyielding abuse, poor wages and 24-hour shifts deeply upset her and moved her to action. 

Since 2011, Baldonado has been organizing domestic workers’ groups and is behind the proposed Illinois Domestic Worker Bill of Rights before the Illinois Senate.

She played a key role in conducting research for the groundbreaking national study “Home Economics: The Invisible and Unregulated World of Domestic Work.” She is also a national leader in Caring Across Generations and the National Domestic Workers’ Alliance.

“This award is a milestone in the long journey from invisibility to recognition for domestic workers and an affirmation of the leadership of Asian American women in the US and abroad,” said Baldonado, also an Alliance of Filipinos for Immigrant Rights and Empowerment (AFIRE) volunteer.

A household worker organizer with the Latino Union of Chicago, Baldonado is dedicated to improving the working and living conditions of an estimated 2.5 million domestic workers in the US. 

She co-founded the multiracial Chicago Coalition of Household Workers. She also speaks for the Caring Across Generations campaign that seeks to transform care in the US, and she is one of the leaders of the National Domestic Workers Alliance.

When US Sen. Dick Durbin attended a town hall meeting with the Filipino community last January at the AFIRE headquarters in Chicago’s north side, Baldonado lobbied for a bill supporting seniors and individuals with disabilities.

The bill also seeks to expand and support strong home care workforce and calls for long-term services and support to be affordable and accessible in communities that uphold the right of seniors and individuals with disabilities.

Eusebio is a social justice fellow at the Asian American/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy, where she manages API Dream Summer, a component of a national internship program that engages partners in community and philanthropy to support leadership development of immigrant youth.  

She also serves on the board of directors of United We Dream, the largest network of immigrant youth-led organizations. 

Eusebio said she “strives to promote change that starts with empowering the most impacted people to lead.”