As the African American (AFRAM) caucus commemorates Black History Month during February, it will mark the 100th year of celebrating Black History in the US. With unprecedented government attacks on immigrants since the Republicans took over last January, the parallels between their struggle and the civil rights movement have become unmistakable.

AFRAM member Janice Guzman, a PCA and Union Delegate from Massachusetts, joined SEIU’s Justice Journey to Louisiana last summer. There she witnessed the horrific conditions in ICE detention centers — where people are packed into cages, being denied medical care, and in some cases, dying from neglect.

In January, Guzman joined the 1199 AFRAM table at the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Breakfast at the Westin Copley Place Ballroom in Boston. Speakers included Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey, US Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley and US Senator Ed Markey.

“I’m a Puerto Rican Afro-American and it is important to me to keep my roots alive,” said Guzman. The 1199 AFRAM chapter in Massachusetts traditionally mounts a Kwanzaa celebration in December, Guzman explained, where members discuss the seven core principles known as the Nguzo Saba, which include unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, and faith.

Another group of members who are enjoying an annual celebration soon is the Asian-Pacific Islander (AAPI) caucus. Lunar New Year begins on February 17, marking the beginning of the Year of the Horse.

Yan Looi, an 1199 Delegate and Home Health Aide with the Chinese-American Planning Council (CPC) in New York, is an active member of the AAPI caucus, traveling to cities including Las Vegas, Toronto and Washington, DC to attend national events. Originally from Malaysia, Looi became an American citizen in 2010 with the help of the 1199SEIU Citizenship program. Able to speak six languages, including Cantonese and Hindi, Looi helps bridge the gap between members in the AAPI caucus from a wide variety of backgrounds.

Political action also figures heavily in AAPI caucus activities. Last summer, Looi joined US Senator John Liu, US Congresswoman Grace Meng, and other community leaders in Flushing, NY, for a roundtable discussion on the harmful impact of the Republicans’ “Big, Ugly Bill” on members’ communities.

Looi said: “I have been a home care worker for 10 years and my patients rely on Medicaid. But Republicans voted to cut one trillion dollars from Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act. Some of these Republicans claim that they aren’t cutting insurance from people who deserve it. That’s not true. As a healthcare worker, I know everyone deserves healthcare.”