Doing the right thing Quote by Bill Ong Hing
““Doing the right thing requires us to humanize the guestworker upon whom we have come to rely. Thus, establishing a worker program must be done in a manner that provides the workers with hope for membership and respect from other Americans. A path toward legalization becomes a critical ingredient of any guestworker program. Only through that path can these individuals attain a sense of enfranchisement and freedom from political subjugation and servitude.””
About This Quote
Source Speech: Policy discussion on guestworker programs, date unknown
Treat guestworkers as humans deserving hope, respect, and a path to legal status, not merely labor resources.
In simple terms: Humanize workers and give them legal hope.
Key Takeaway
Advocate for legal pathways and respect.
Themes
human rights
immigration
labor
justice
inclusion
Mood
empathetic
determined
Type
advocacy
policy
When to use this quote
- policy drafting
- advocacy
- community outreach
- labor negotiations
Key Concepts
citizenship
enfranchisement
political freedom
social integration
Questions to Reflect On
- How can societies balance economic needs with workers’ rights?
- What steps can individuals take to support guestworkers?
A Different Perspective
Legal reforms can be politically contentious and slow.
![“We [Americans] really need a system that comprehensively looks at the fact that we need these workers in the United States, we need to be able to provide a pathway to citizenship. We need to be able to allow them to be here legally and to do the work that they are doing and that we need.” quote by Pramila Jayapal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/be9/pramila-jayapal-5245_able_we-americans-really-need-a-system-that-c_2146287.jpg)
![“[If] we can celebrate that in a way that celebrates our love for New England as well as our love for the Italian culture as well as the American culture, then we've done something that's really good and supporting these fishermen who are doing the right thing in sustainability . . . paying…” quote by Mario Batali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/1ea/mario-batali-4002_american-culture_if-we-can-celebrate-that-in-a-way-that-c_45806.jpg)