VA-10 Making a Difference: Centreville Labor Resource Center

One Person Can Make a Difference

“Why do people hate us?”

That was the first question immigrant workers in Centreville wanted answered when a local church hired an interpreter and invited them to a community meeting.

The answer from the community — we don’t, and we’ll put our service where our promise is.

In the years since that meeting, in a spirit reflective of what is best about Virginia 10, Republicans and Democrats, newscasters and police officers, businesses and day laborers have come together to build a community that addresses immediate needs and builds future opportunities.

The Labor Resource Center is a place where members, mostly day laborers, can come to get work, learn English, seek advice on tax filings, and access recourse for wage theft. It’s a place that stands in principled rebuttal to every attempt to stoke division.

I ask about the protests they endured when they first established the center, and their answer is wonderfully ironic.

“Those people aren’t from here.” Those protesters came from far away, our community has made it very clear where we stand.

You see, the center would not exist were it not for the support of local churches. Members’ ID cards are sponsored by local business whose logos emblazon the back of their cards and come with a promise of a 10% discount. Bonnie Hobbs with The Connection Newspapers helps ensure that issues affecting community member are covered as the newsworthy pieces they are, and Peace Officer Colbertson stops by at least twice a week to make sure these workers, who can be more vulnerable to exploitation, know that they too have access to justice.

As I sat around that table listening to the stories of the organizers, it underscores everything we already know: That if you take away the labels and focus on the people, we move forward best when we focus on helping rather than dividing.