[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 135 (Friday, September 19, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1491]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        HONORING MS. AI-JEN POO

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. KEITH ELLISON

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 18, 2014

  Mr. ELLISON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Ai-jen Poo to 
congratulate her on the 2014 MacArthur Foundation Fellowship. MacArthur 
``Genius'' Fellows show extraordinary dedication and originality in 
their field, as well as exceptional promise for continuing their 
creative pursuits in the future. Ms. Poo demonstrated these qualities 
through her successful organization of domestic workers on a national 
and international level. She has created better working conditions for 
women who are often exploited, by establishing fair labor standards 
which were originally nonexistent.
  Ms. Poo started organizing immigrant women workers in 1996. In 2000, 
she co-founded Domestic Workers United, the organization that has 
successfully advocated for passage of the state of New York's Domestic 
Workers' Bill of Rights in 2010. Currently, Ms. Poo is the Executive 
Director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance (NDWA), which arose 
from the first national domestic workers convention in 2007 that she 
helped plan. NDWA is a leading organization in building fair labor 
standards for the 2.5 million domestic workers in the U.S. Recently, 
Poo was instrumental in the Department of Labor's decision to include 
caregivers for the elderly and disabled in federal minimum wage and 
overtime protections.
  Ms. Poo is also Co-Director of Caring Across Generations, a campaign 
that brings together caregivers and the employers into an alliance that 
supports immigration reform, health care, and labor policies. This 
confluence of interest results in better labor conditions, and greater 
quality care for America's aging population.
  Aside from being a 2014 MacArthur Foundation fellow, Ms. Poo was 
previously recognized with numerous other accolades including the World 
Economic Forum Young Global Leader award in 2013, and the Ms. 
Foundation Woman of Vision Award. In 2012, she was named one of TIME 
Magazine's 100 Most Influential People in the World.
  Ms. Poo has exhibited outstanding devotion to a cause that continues 
to improve countless lives. I appreciate all that she has done to serve 
our nation, and I congratulate her for her achievement. She is more 
than deserving of this honor.

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