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I wrote about why Mexicans living and working in the US sent more remittance money than ever back to their families in Mexico in March. This thread elaborates on those reasons and links to sources in the article. https://twitter.com/ConversationUS/status/1265975062819201024
As country after country has responded to COVID-19 with schools, businesses, and workplaces closures, travel restrictions, shelter-in-place orders, etc there has been talk about economies being "closed" and as some places flatten the curve there is talk of economies "opening."
"The economy" is not a monolithic entity. People are always working, exchanging - economies are diverse. The example in this case is that while many people had to close businesses or lost their jobs, many other people had to keep working and leaving home to go to work.
@latimes published data on how Latinx workers are overrepresented in "essential" CA industries like food service, construction, agriculture. More Latinx workers said working from home is not an option and fear losing a job bc of COVID-19. https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-05-17/latino-essential-workers-coronavirus
In short, it is disproportionately the Black and Latinx population that MUST report to work. @BSaurio's reporting in @LatAmDispatch shows how Latinx, Mexican workers in NYC are further made vulnerable bc of high-risk work conditions. https://latindispatch.com/2020/05/08/latinx-workers-keep-new-york-city-moving/
As the two articles discuss, Mexicans need to keep working because bills don't stop, rent is due, family members are sick and cannot work. And many cannot access forms of government aid, something @RCamarenaBK and others are fighting to change https://citylimits.org/2020/05/05/opinion-cinco-de-mayo-is-cancelled-support-mexican-essential-workers-instead/
Many people are working out of necessity to support themselves and loved ones in the US and Mexico. Remittances are important during a crisis. We know about the importance of remittances during natural disasters, recessions, economic downturns and while COVID-19 is different ...
And we don't KNOW how remittances are going to be shaken up by the ongoing pandemic, I want to stress a few things. First, remittances are diverse. For a snapshot of that diversity, with maps, graphs, charts check out this annual report https://www.bbvaresearch.com/publicaciones/mexico-anuario-de-migracion-y-remesas-2019/
Second, remittances, like other money, are weighted with social meaning. I link to this @lajornadaonline article that quotes an economist who says that the decline in economic activity in Mexico may be compelling people to send money https://www.jornada.com.mx/2020/05/05/economia/016n1eco
For my research I sometimes talk to people about remittances as cariño, quickly translated here as a form of care. In her article about indigenous Mexicans in NYC @Andalalucha describes a family in Guerrero sending money fo family in the US. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/new-york-city-indigenous-mexicans-battle-coronavirus-amid-language-barriers-n1206136
In this case, money, like feelings between people, does not just go one way. People feel an urgency to provide and care for each other. And as the articles show, in the absence of government assistance for so many in the US and Mexico, income/remittances are a lifeline.
I could talk more about things in this article: the exchange rate, years of discourse and celebrating migrants for the remittances they send to Mexico, and more. And I would love to listen and learn from feedback. Please get in touch if you have ideas to share.
Lastly, many have reported on COVID-19's disproportionate impact on Black, Latinx, and Indigenous communities. As of a few days ago 1,036 Mexicans have died in the US from COVID-19. https://www.animalpolitico.com/2020/05/mexicanos-muertos-en-estados-unidos-covid-19-mayo/
Articles in this thread detail how people sick with the virus and their families have lacked adequate medical attention, translation, and access to aid. Many immigrant, Latinx and Mexican organizations and individuals have campaigns to help families. Join me in donating to them.
"Mixteca Organization Inc. is a community non-profit organization located in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. Our community members are worried about how they will pay the rent, for food, children's expenses, support their family members abroad." https://charity.gofundme.com/o/en/campaign/mixtecas-emergency-fund-for-undocumented-folks
"We are coming together with the simple objective:
Raise $100,000.00 to support Mexican families in covering funeral expenses and provide immediate financial support." https://www.gofundme.com/f/burial-fund-mexicans-in-nyc?utm_source=customer&utm_medium=copy_link-tip&utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheet
Raise $100,000.00 to support Mexican families in covering funeral expenses and provide immediate financial support." https://www.gofundme.com/f/burial-fund-mexicans-in-nyc?utm_source=customer&utm_medium=copy_link-tip&utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheet
"Celso Mendoza’s life mattered. Daniel Mendoza’s life matters. Poultry and meatpacking workers' lives matter." https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/voices/2020/05/12/coronavirus-takes-poultry-worker-celso-mendoza-column/3109292001/ @astuesse
