UFE is delighted to welcome two recent/new program staff and one new intern to our team. Together, the three span each of UFE’s home bases - Boston, North Carolina, and our newest addition, Alabama. Please join us in welcoming them!

Kayan Cheung-Miaw (she/they), Inclusive Economies Project Director

Kayan Cheung-Miaw joined UFE in early 2023 as our Wages & Workers’ Rights Organizer. Over the summer, they stepped into the role of Inclusive Economies Project Director. They are coordinating and growing the Raising Wages NC coalition, bringing UFE’s resources to worker struggles including the sanitation workers in Durham, making sure immigrant-led and BIPOC-led groups have access to the Avila Retreat Center for learning and community-building, and so much more to support economic justice organizing in North Carolina. 

Kayan, far left, facilitates a discussion with low-wage workers participating in the “Building Workers’ Power” convening at Raleigh, NC in Spring 2023

How did you first get involved with economic justice work?

I grew up as an immigrant in NYC’s Chinatown. My parents worked in sweatshops: working long hours and being paid below the minimum wage in the garment and restaurant industries, while living in a small, dilapidated one-bedroom apartment as a family of five. In high school, a speaker who was explaining what sweatshops are made me realize that my family was being taken advantage of by our employers and landlord, as well as a system that allows, encourages, and benefits from that exploitation. I also learned that these problems can change if we organize. This new consciousness helped bring me into social justice movements. 

What are you most excited about in your new role with UFE?

The political landscape doesn’t look good here in NC, but we are still fighting. Workers are still risking everything to claim what’s rightfully theirs: respect, dignity, safety, fair pay etc. My new role as the Inclusive Economies Director allows me to be part of this exciting movement and to help strategize for a plan to win. 

How do you rest and restore outside of work time?

By eating junk food and watching trash TV after my kid goes to bed. Only half kidding. I also make art, practice martial arts, and spend time outdoors with my kid. I try to implement “off off” days, but it’s difficult as a working parent. 

What is one thing you'd like to share about yourself with the UFE community?

I would love to help center healing justice in our work here in NC. I would like to bring different parts of myself into the work (I am also an educator and a comic artist! I speak Cantonese & Mandarin!).

Click here to read more about this North Carolina-based mama, organizer, artist, and educator who is sharing her talents with UFE! 

Ana Delia Espino (she/her), Director of Inclusive Economies - South

Ana Delia Espino joined UFE this fall in the new role of Director of Inclusive Economies - South. A skilled organizer and trainer, she co-launched the Grassroots Organizing School of Alabama (GOSA) with UFE in 2022. Now on staff, she will continue to coordinate this project to develop organizers with the skills to jump into Black- and immigrant-led worker rights projects across Alabama.

Ana Delia, during her time as the Executive Director of Alabama Coalition for Immigrant Justice, leads a Power of Participation Training to motivate participants to become politically engaged in their local communities.

How did you first get involved with economic justice work?

I initially delved into economic justice work during the fall of 2018 through UFE's Training for Trainers. Prior to that, my understanding of economic dynamics was somewhat hazy. The infamous chair activity they conducted, however, proved to be the eye-opener that peeled away the veil of ignorance from my perspective and granted me the opportunity to develop my own analysis.

What are you most excited about in your new role with UFE?

I am particularly excited about investing in radical leadership in the South. We have an opportunity to build winning strategies for workers, by workers.

How do you rest and restore outside of work time?

Outside of work, I find joy and rejuvenation through reading and bullet journaling. These activities not only help me unwind but also indulge my love for all things related to stationery supplies.

What is one thing you'd like to share about yourself with the UFE community?

One thing I'd love to share with the UFE community is my appreciation for the magic of second chances.

Click here to read more about Ana Delia’s mission to empower under-represented communities, nurture civic engagement, and advocate for economic justice through leadership development.

Gabrielle Dominique (she/her), Tisch Scholar

Gabrielle Dominique joins UFE this academic year as our Tufts University Tisch Scholar. Tisch Scholars is a leadership development program that combines academic coursework with fieldwork in local community settings that are using equity and social justice values and practices. At UFE, she will be writing for our blog and newsletter, and shadowing UFE’s executive director at popular economics education trainings and workshops with community-based organizations.

Gabrielle attending the 2023 Black Solidarity Conference at Yale University.

How did you first get involved with economic justice work?

I first got involved in economic justice through an organization called Strong Women Strong Girls. As a mentor for this organization, I gained a first-hand perspective on the intersection between economic and education justice. From there I continued analyzing the intersection between economic justice and other social justice issues.

What are you most excited about in your new role with UFE?

I am most excited about furthering my analysis on economic justice at UFE. As I learn more about this organization, I am excited to see UFE in action and connect with the work that UFE does.

How do you rest and restore outside of work time?

I rest and restore by eating with my friends. I value the time spent with my friends and I’ve noticed that catching up with friends is best spent over lunch or dinner.

What is one thing you'd like to share about yourself with the UFE community?

One thing I’d like to share with the UFE community is that I’m very accessible and just an email, text, or phone call away.