Maid by Any Other Name

I am teaching an English class at Choices, a cooperative of immigrant Latina domestic workers. ¹ We are practicing tenses of the verb “to be.” “In El Salvador I was a teacher, here I am a housekeeper.” “In Nicaragua I was a businesswoman, here I am a housekeeper.” Embarrassed laughter ripples through the group at the end of each sentence. “Oh, how the mighty have fallen,” I say, reflecting the discomfort in the room. Another co-op member comes in and a woman in the class explains what’s going on, quoting my comments in summary. But then she turns back to the group. “It makes us embarrassed, but it shouldn’t. We’re trained, we do good work, and they pay us well. We haven’t fallen.” Everyone nods in agreement.