Bonnie Castillo

As a registered nurse and executive director of National Nurses United and the California Nurses Association, Bonnie Castillo is a visionary and a leader. She was among the first to call attention to the lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) available to nurses across the U.S. during the COVID-19 pandemic, and fought layoffs and pay cuts that nurses faced despite their vital frontline work.

Bonnie’s commitment to the labor movement and unions is unwavering; she states that unions are the foundation of a democratic society. Bonnie does not just work to heal patients; she works to heal society. As a mother and grandmother of nurses, I thank Bonnie, and all nurses—including those who have died while serving—for their heroic work in this critical time.

Huerta is a civil rights activist who co-founded what is now the United Farm Workers of America