Sunday's Sit-In for Migrant Domestic Workers

We put it together in a week and a half. Check out the media coverage and the pictures: Al Akhbar, Al-Mustaqbal, As-Safir, iloubnan, Facebook.

We had a fun time making the posters, thinking of appropriate slogans that would be edgy enough, but not invoke completely defensive reactions. Since it was on the occasion of International Women’s Day, we said “Migrant Domestic Workers Rights = Women’s Rights= Human Rights”. Then we did personal-ish statements along the lines of, “I worked for three years and never received my salary.” A particularly weird, fun, thought-provoker (and personal favorite) was “The Mister Beats Madame Everyday.” I made that poster.

“F--- this racist, backward country!” was suggested by a friend in an e-mail. But I didn’t suggest that in the meeting, so as not to throw off our Lebanese-foreigner coalition. (But I still get a good hoot thinking about that one!)

When an Ethiopian woman showed up to the café to work on the posters, we got the idea that they should be in different languages. So Hayeon went to El Dorado to recruit some Filipinas to get some posters written in Tagalog. The day of, we got some Sri Lankans to write other posters, right on the sidewalk. The other organizers told me 20 posters would be more than enough. I made 35, and they were all used.

About 100 people came, which the other organizers were very surprised and happy about it, but still left me disappointed. I was hoping there would be more migrants. On Tuesday, I went around the Filipina section of Hamra with Liberty, another Filipina. We put posters on the walls and talked to shop and restaurant owners. Sometimes we were met with suspicion, "Why are you helping us?" Other times, we were met with sincere enthusiasm: “The government is really going to change?” “You think the Lebanese will really care about this?” “Thanks for helping us.” And then I’d be invited to sit and eat. It helps A LOT to be an American. Once they realize I’m not Lebanese, barriers go down, and a certain level of trust is extended.

My main East African organizational contacts were all booked. The Ethiopian churches had a big mission conference that weekend. The Malagasys were having a meeting with their consulate in Dora. The Sudanese had a big funeral. But since it was going to be in Hamra on a Sunday, I figured we could just get random passers-by the day of. That didn't really work. Of course, people were thrown off by the cameras.

Out of the almost 1000 people on our Facebook group, and 77 confirmed guests, about 5 new faces showed up.

When I told the other organizers I made 400 copies of the fact sheet, I was met with, “Wow, Jane, thinking big.” We ran out after 40 minutes, and someone had to make more. Someone said, “100.” I said, “200,” knowing that wouldn’t be enough. I was right. We handed out all the copies. People in their cars were stopping, asking for the papers, curious about what was going on. Demonstrations and protests, with people holding up funny, colorful signs isn’t too common a site in Lebanon.

Shout outs go to the Feminist Collective (for rallying tons of supporters in cool, black T-shirts), the AUB UNESCO club (for donating funds), IndyAct, CRTDA and Kafaa (for officially sponsoring it), and to Nadim from Human Rights Watch (for all his moral support and vision).

Now, it's time to plan for May Day!