Antonio Bernabe

Antonio Bernabe was born in Celaya, Guanajuato, Mexico on June 4, 1960. He grew up in Mexico where he also met his lifelong partner and wife, Martha. In Mexico his two older children, Tony and Martha, were born. To provide a better life for his family, Antonio migrated to the United States in the mid 1990's and made the San Fernando Valley his home. Soon after his family was reunited and Gabriela and Valeria were born and completed their tight-knit and loving family.Antonio Bernabé joined CHIRLA in 1997 as Day Laborer Site Coordinator and community organizer, he later became Director of Organizing.At CHIRLA, Antonio helped open and run day laborer centers and create the National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON), an advocacy and grassroots organization that fights for the rights of day laborers. Some of his career achievements include helping create the Building a Community leadership development program; advocating for AB60, a California bill signed into law which allowed immigrants to get drivers' licenses in California, and organizing communities to support SB54, the California Values Act, which limits collaboration between local police departments and federal immigration enforcers.Antonio was a leader in the fight for a living minimum wage. He fought against wage theft and for immigrant workers' rights. Throughout his career he helped immigrant workers collect millions of dollars in unpaid wages, and worked with faith institutions, Mexican consulates, U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division to create EMPLEO: a national hotline for immigrant workers to call when they were facing abuse. He trained thousands of grassroots leaders and organizers so they could have an active role in changing their lives.Antonio was a state and national leader in the fight for immigration reform; for the past 20 years Antonio led the coordination of May Day marches. On May 1, Los Angeles participates in powerful and colorful marches in favor of legalization.Antonio made North Hollywood his home for more than 30 years. He is survived by his wife and life partner Martha Bernabé; his 4 children: Martha, Tony, Gabriela, and Valeria; and his grandchildren Brooklyn and Cinelli. His CHIRLA family mourns his passing as he was a pillar of CHIRLA's leadership in favor of the rights of immigrants in this country.Donate to Tony's Family Fund: www.chirla.org/bernabefund/