In this interview, Francisca Valerio shares her story about working in manual labor under the Miami sun for 30+ years and her experience with We Count! for the Que Calor! campaign. Being the first of nine children and a woman, then starting her family at twenty-one, she describes the pressure of having to help her mother, younger siblings, and own children from a young age. Having worked on her parent's farm in Mexico since she was a young girl, shortly after arriving in the States, she “accepted” to do the same here. She shares her experience working at a nursery and the conditions which she has had to work under. She tears up as she remembers the time when she felt that death was near as a result of being exposed to extreme heat with no breaks or water. She explains how working under the sun with no shade, water, or bathroom breaks has affected not only her health and personal life, but her husband’s as well. Francisca gives an optimistic view on the fear commonly shared by nursery workers; which she once had herself, but has now overcome with the help of We Count. She shares how We Count has impacted her knowledge about her labor rights and aided in finding her voice.
