Becoming the People Podcast with Prentis Hemphill Care is a Lifeforce with Ai-jen Poo
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Mar 18, 2026 Ai-jen Poo, organizer and author who leads national care and domestic worker movements, discusses care as the foundation of democracy. She reflects on caregiving as invisible labor, reframes independence through interdependence, and outlines policy priorities and cultural shifts needed to center care in society.
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Grandmother Shaped A Care Ethic
- Ai-jen Poo learned caregiving values from her grandmother who raised her from six months old and worked as a nurse.
- Her grandmother embodied determined optimism and taught Ai-jen to stop complaining and 'fix it,' shaping Ai-jen's organizing ethic.
Care Becomes Invisible Because It Is The Foundation
- Care is invisible because it's the ground beneath everything we do, so societies take it for granted and build systems on that assumption.
- That invisibility is reinforced by cultural stories of individualism that present independence as separate from the collective care enabling it.
Independence Is Enabled By Care
- Disability advocates reframe independence as enabled by care, showing assistance makes agency possible rather than undermining it.
- This perspective connects independence and interdependence, arguing care should be seen as enabling choice and dignity.
