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Hilary Stern, Change Agent.
Photo by Revel Nt |
Imagine the experience of a Latino immigrant upon arriving in Seattle. “You don’t have any place to stay, you don’t have any jobs, and you don’t speak English. CASA Latina provides social networking,” says Hilary Stern, its executive director. The nonprofit helps Latino and Latina immigrants find thousands of temporary jobs every year, as well as teaching ESL and providing a community.
CASA Latina’s workers’ center is filled daily with laborers who are hired for fair wages, primarily by homeowners for landscaping and cleaning. The organization also has a wage claim program to support immigrant workers who get stiffed.
Stern is currently raising funds to move CASA Latina from its location in Belltown to 17th and Jackson in the Central District.
She also helps organize the annual Immigrants Rights March and Rally, coming up on May 1 in Judkins Park. Stern says, “The march is a way for people to express that they shouldn’t be treated as criminals or fugitives. All they’re trying to do is work and contribute and make a living.” |
