Domestic workers gather to celebrate 'Roma' and the Oscars

Doris Tapia never imagined that she would get to watch the Oscars at a party in Los Angeles, exchanging the sneakers she wears when she takes care of children in New York for a pair of high heel shoes.

The Peruvian nanny is among dozens of domestic workers who will be honored Sunday as the "heroes of our homes" in a red carpet event organized by the National Domestic Workers Alliance.

The event also has the support of "Roma" director Alfonso Cuarón, activist Tarana Burke and actresses Diane Guerrero, Eva Longoria and Olga Segura.

In this photo provided by Survival Media, women who work in the domestic industry try on dresses for Oscars viewing party at Rent The Runway on Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2019 in New York. Dozens of domestic workers will be honored this Sunday, Feb. 24 as the "heroes of our homes" in a red carpet event organized by the National Domestic Workers Alliance with the support of the director of “Roma”, Alfonso Cuarón, and the assistance of figures such as activist Tarana Burke and actresses Diane Guerrero, Eva Longoria and Olga Segura. (Kathleen O'NeillSurvival Media via AP)

"It is a privilege to be part of this event. I could have never imagined I would be stepping in a place like this," Tapia said in Spanish, shortly before her trip to Hollywood.

"And yesterday trying our dresses on! It was such a lovely experience of camaraderie," she added later about the garments donated by Rent the Runway.

The Mexican movie "Roma" is nominated for 10 Academy Awards and stars Yalitza Aparicio as Cleo, a domestic worker for a Mexico City middle-class family in the turbulent early 1970s.

In this photo provided by Survival Media, a woman who works in the domestic industry tries on a dress for a Oscars viewing party at Rent The Runway on Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2019 in New York. Dozens of domestic workers will be honored this Sunday, Feb. 24 as the "heroes of our homes" in a red carpet event organized by the National Domestic Workers Alliance with the support of the director of “Roma”, Alfonso Cuarón, and the assistance of figures such as activist Tarana Burke and actresses Diane Guerrero, Eva Longoria and Olga Segura. (Kathleen O'NeillSurvival Media via AP)

It has given domestic workers global visibility and started a conversation about the importance of their job after years of being poorly paid and underappreciated.

"There are 2 million women who do this work and are not protected by our labor laws," said Ai-jen Poo, executive director at the alliance, an organization founded in 2007 that promotes the rights of domestic workers in the Unites States.

"They are taking care of our families, but they can't take care of their own families doing this work," she said. "We think this is a huge opportunity to expand our support for making these jobs dignified jobs and for valuing" the workers.

This image released by Netflix shows Yalitza Aparicio, center, in a scene from the film "Roma," by filmmaker Alfonso Cuaron. The film is nominated for an Oscar for both best foreign language film and best picture. The 91st Academy Awards will be held on Sunday. (Carlos SomonteNetflix via AP)

Inspired by his childhood, Cuarón has dedicated "Roma" to his nanny Libo. Since its August debut at the Venice Film Festival, where it earned the Golden Lion, it has received accolades and awards at the Golden Globes and the British film academy's BAFTAs, among others.

Meanwhile, the director has advocated for domestic workers' rights and has spoken against racial discrimination in Mexico, where the success of Aparicio — a newcomer of indigenous origin and the daughter of a domestic worker — has generated derogatory remarks.

Cuarón recently made a public service announcement calling on employers of domestic workers to "pay fairly, set clear expectations, and provide paid time off." He also invited support of Domestic Workers Bill of Rights, a legislative effort to provide rights and protection denied for decades, as well as use of Alia (https://www.myalia.org/,) a benefits platform for housecleaners created by the alliance.

"If it wasn't for the work that domestic workers were doing in homes ... (other) people wouldn't be able to go do other jobs," said Monica Ramirez, gender justice campaign director for the alliance.

On Sunday, the organization will be celebrating "Roma" as a "beautiful movie" and because of its social impact.

Poo noted that the film made the experience and work of Cleo visible and also humanized her.

"It reminds us that women who do this work are women — they are mothers, they are friends, they are daughters," she said. "She's a whole human being, and those stories are so invisible in our popular culture. So we celebrate the film."

Tapia, who moved to the U.S. almost two decades ago, had attended the premiere of "Roma" at the Lincoln Center in New York, where "there was no shortage of tears," she said.

She expects to see the film win multiple Academy Awards.

"But in fact, to me it is already a champion," she said enthusiastically.

Follow Sigal Ratner-Arias on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/sigalratner .

Online:

https://www.www.domesticworkers.org/

JERUSALEM (AP) — Yemen's Houthi rebels on Saturday claimed shooting down another of the U.S. military's MQ-9 Reaper drones, airing footage of parts that corresponded to known pieces of the unmanned aircraft.

The Houthis said they shot down the Predator with a surface-to-air missile, part of a renewed series of assaults this week by the rebels after a relative lull in their pressure campaign over the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip.

U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Bryon J. McGarry, a Defense Department spokesperson, acknowledged to The Associated Press on Saturday that “a U.S. Air Force MQ-9 drone crashed in Yemen.” He said an investigation was underway, without elaborating.

The Houthis described the downing as happening Thursday over their stronghold in the country's Saada province.

Footage released by the Houthis included what they described as the missile launch targeting the drone, with a man off-camera reciting the Houthi's slogan after it was hit: “God is the greatest; death to America; death to Israel; curse the Jews; victory to Islam.”

The footage included several close-ups on parts of the drone that included the logo of General Atomics, which manufactures the drone, and serial numbers corresponding with known parts made by the company.

Since the Houthis seized the country’s north and its capital of Sanaa in 2014, the U.S. military has lost at least five drones to the rebels counting Thursday's shootdown — in 2017, 2019, 2023 and this year.

Reapers, which cost around $30 million apiece, can fly at altitudes up to 50,000 feet and have an endurance of up to 24 hours before needing to land.

The drone shootdown comes as the Houthis launch attacks on shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, demanding Israel ends the war in Gaza, which has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians there. The war began after Hamas-led militants attacked Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people and taking some 250 others hostage.

The Houthis have launched more than 50 attacks on shipping, seized one vessel and sank another since November, according to the U.S. Maritime Administration.

Houthi attacks have dropped in recent weeks as the rebels have been targeted by a U.S.-led airstrike campaign in Yemen. Shipping through the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden has declined because of the threat. American officials have speculated that the rebels may be running out of weapons as a result of the U.S.-led campaign against them and after firing drones and missiles steadily in the last months. However, the rebels have renewed their attacks in the last week.

A Houthi supporter raises a mock rocket during a rally against the U.S. and Israel and to support Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, in Sanaa, Yemen, Friday, April. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Osamah Abdulrahman)