The seven nurses work at the Haines City clinic, and, ironically enough, were actually hired because they were bilingual, according to press release sent out by Orlando-based community organizer Krizia Lopez Arce.
Mairylí Miranda, a nurse who has lived in Florida for 15 years, said in a prepared statement they made sure to speak in English with those who do not understand Spanish. "We speak in English to the monolingual patients and staff, but we speak Spanish with each other because we think in Spanish. But one day they gathered us all together and warned us that if we continued to do so, we would be fired," Miranda, a San Juan native, said. "But there is no law that bans us from speaking Spanish."
In response, the nurses filed a complaint with human resources at the clinic and wrote a letter to the Health Department headquarters in Tallahassee.
Officials with the health department have not immediately responded to requests for comment.
Community organizer Krizia Lopez Arce is gathering Latinx organizations for a press conference Monday evening at Wilson Park in Davenport condemning health officials. Alianza for Progress, Boricua Vota and Boricuas de Corazón, are among the groups to be present.
Lopez Arce said Frances Santiago, a Kissimmee woman who was asked to take down a Puerto Rico flag outside her home, will also be present. Lopez Arce sighted Santiago's case as just the latest instance of the community feeling under attack.
"For me as, a Puerto Rican woman here it’s so disgusting because we’re American citizens too," Lopez Arce said by phone Monday. "We always feel rejected in every way. In every place that we go. We need to keep fighting for good treatment."
This article appears in Aug 15-22, 2019.
