Gilberto Florez and Carolina Ruiz for Tenants and Workers United
There were some new faces at this year’s MLK Service Fair. Tenants and Workers United is reaching out to GMU students to advocate for area immigrant communities. The non-profit is working to build bridges between them and the community at large, as well as to break down barriers between Latino and African-American families and education, healthcare and housing.
“The rents are so high for them to even stay there, now that they’re being pushed out there’s not many places for them to go,” said Carolina Ruiz, a masters student in social work at Mason and intern for the organization. Tenants and Workers United advocates against the gentrification of low-income and immigrant neighborhoods, a major issue in northern Virginia.
Ruiz got involved through a program that connects Mason students with internships in their field of study. She helped to bring Tenants and Workers United to the MLK Service Fair to get other Mason students to volunteer with the organization close to her own heart—and life.
“It’s definitely getting me back to my own roots, because I am from an immigrant family,” Ruiz said.
“[It’s] being able to give back to the community and helping them through certain processes like becoming residents, becoming citizens, or even just connecting them to services like how to pay rent [or] utilities, or even helping the youth program and the students there navigate through the college application process. Because I know I never had that growing up,” Ruiz said.
TWU is looking for volunteers for all their programs, especially students with an interest in communications and marketing. One program helps high school students in Alexandria plan for life after college.
Bilingualism is also helpful for those interested in getting involved in the organization, as the organization works directly with many non-English speaking migrant workers and residents.
To learn more about Tenants and Workers United, visit their website at http://www.tenantsandworkers.org/
Listen to the entire interview here.