Francoise Paul feels for the children first.  The “kids in cages,” the young ones forcibly separated from their parents, traumatized by an I.C.E raid, and/or sent to another country that is not their home under the Trump Administration’s cruel immigration policies.

“Kids aren’t prepared emotionally and shouldn’t have to deal with this dread that someone might knock down their door in the middle of the night and send their family away.  This is going to have long-lasting emotional and mental health problems,” she says.   

That’s why Paul, a CNA and 1199SEIU member in the Orlando area for the past 10 years, has become a Member Political Organizer (MPO) to activate voters and replace current administration with caring compassionate leaders such as Joe Biden and Kamala Harris who believe in an America for all.

Her activism in the November elections matches her education and career goals of helping co-workers and community members help themselves, especially fellow immigrants.  Born in Haiti, Paul holds a master’s degree in healthcare administration and is studying for a Ph.D. in public health and her RN license, all while working full-time and caring for three children and a niece at home during the Covid-19 pandemic.  Once she graduates, she plans to use her training, education and professional position to help underserved communities take better care of their own health.

Between now and November, her work will focus on supporting local and national leaders who fight for working families like her fellow members of 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East. She’ll send thousands of texts, phone calls and other communications to colleagues and friends in the community who have most at stake. “So many of us are from other countries who came here for a better life. We take a job, or even two, to feed our families.  These are jobs that many other people won’t do like farm work or other labor, but they are essential for the economy.  It makes no sense to kick us out.”

Paul personally knows at least one family who had their door smashed open in the middle of the night and then sent back to Haiti by police and Trump’s I.C.E. agents carrying out what seems more like a domestic terror campaign than mere immigration policy.

She says these actions are very consistent with the current administration’s repeated messages on race and disrespect of Black and brown people, including Trump quotes calling Mexican “rapists,” white supremacist “very fine people,” referring to Haiti and other countries as a “sh*thole countries” and much more.

“All of this is very hurtful and hateful.  It’s immoral,” Paul says. “This country is much better than that and it should be reflected at the top by leaders who will do the right thing.  We can make that happen this November by getting involved, sharing our voice and our vote.”

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Visit here for 1199SEIU’s list of endorsed candidates.  For more information on becoming an MPO or getting involved in the election, contact 1199SEIU Florida political coordinators:
Coy Jones, coy.jones@1199.org, 954-895-2081, or Jason Morales, jason.morales@1199.org, 646-413-2755.