Hantewn, Dallamy Santos

Dallamy has beautiful memories of her childhood in Cuba where she played on the beach and in the fruit orchards. Her parents were separated, so she grew up with her mother and her siblings. Her father was a school teacher who was going to school for his doctorate. He urged Dallamy to pursue higher education, so she began a teaching program and was well on her way to receive a federal scholarship. In her last year of school Dallamy decided instead to move to the United States with her then partner. After living in Pennsylvania for a bit, the couple decided to come to Las Vegas where there was more of a Hispanic community. Even with the large Latinx population Dallamy remembers experiencing prejudice by other hispanic people, especially one man at JobConnect who turned her away because he did not believe she would learn to speak English well. Eventually Dallamy found work as a hotel housekeeper at the Fitzgerald, and this is also when she learned of the Culinary Union and the importance of unionizing. She recounts one of her favorite protests, at the Cosmopolitan, where she took part in a surprise-undercover protest. Dallamy has three children who she often brings to protests. She wants her children to grow up knowing the importance of fighting for their rights. Dallamy is currently working as a utility porter at The D. Interview conducted in Spanish.