MÓNICA RAMÍREZ
43 • Fighting for migrant workers
BY DIANE GUERRERO
The knowledge possessed by Mónica Ramírez’s giant heart is just what makes
her the breath of fresh air needed in a civil rights attorney. Her work through
organizations like Justice for Migrant Women is only a fraction of proof of how
hard she fi ghts for the migrant worker; it has blown me away. Ranging from
demanding equal pay for women and organizing against voter suppression to
workplace sexual abuse and calling for COVID-19 relief for migrant families.
Mónica’s compassion is built in the foundation of her life. She grew up in a rural
community with deep family roots of migrant farmworkers before studying
public administration at Harvard University. She used those accomplishments
to raise more than $4 million in aid for farmworkers aff ected by the pandemic.
She is kind, playful, truthful and whip-smart. The type of person you need
fi ghting for your civil f-cking rights.
I admire her generosity; I remember wanting to speak to her when most in-
convenient. She was in between fl ights, and we had lunch at a Colombian res-
taurant. Through this conversation and bonding, I experienced her value, her
drive. When she talks about saving the world, it’s like she is personally deliver-
ing a secret message to you—that she believes in you, in people. She lives her
life to create a positive change for others. She is a gift to those in her presence; I
am glad to call her my friend.
Guerrero is an actor and author
WYATT: JOEL CARRETT—EPA-EFE/SHUTTERSTOCK; GUPTA: ILLUSTRATION BY ALEXIS FRANKLIN FOR TIME;
RAMÍREZ: ART STREIBER—AUGUST; ODUFUWA, ABUDU, EWENIYI: ILLUSTRATION BY ALEXIS FRANKLIN FOR TIME
DAMILOLAODUFUWA,FEYIKEMI‘FK’ ABUDU,ODUNAYOEWENIYISupporting
#EndSARS protestersWhen protests calling for an
end to police brutality and the
disbandment of Nigeria’s Special
Anti- Robbery Squad (SARS)
erupted across the country in
fall 2020, Damilola Odufuwa and
Odunayo Eweniyi, founders of the
Feminist Coalition, sprang into
action. Drawing on their expertise
in tech, they raised donations in
Bitcoin to offer protesters medical
assistance, legal aid and mental-
health support. Simultaneously,
Feyikemi “FK” Abudu acted quickly,
raising funds from both Nigeria and
the diaspora to organize food and
security arrangements for protest-
ers on the ground. Abudu later
joined forces with the Feminist
Coalition, and the organization,
comprising 13 founding members,
raised more than $387,000 in two
weeks. As their fi ght continues—
in mid-October, the government
pledged to implement police
reform, but efforts to suppress
dissent, including by arresting
demonstrators, are ongoing—the
coalition’s leaders hope their
crucial role in the protests demon-
strates the importance of having
women in leadership.
—Suyin Haynes