'Councilwoman' follows Ward 9's Carmen Castillo

"Councilwoman," a documentary about Providence City Councilwoman Carmen Castillo, will premiere in Providence tonight at 6 p.m. at the Providence Career and Technical Academy.

The bilingual film tells the story of Castillo’s first term in office as a councilwoman for Ward 9.

“Primarily, it’s Carmen’s story told from Carmen’s point of view,” said director Margo Guernsey of Time Travel Productions.

But it’s also a story about an immigrant, a mother, a hotel housekeeper and a union organizer who broke into the political world to fight for her community.

“I would love to see more people like Carmen having the guts and the bravery and the courage to run [for office],” Guernsey said.

Castillo said she hoped the film would inspire others like her to say: “If Carmen can do it, you can do it too,” she said, as she sat on the sofa at her Potters Avenue home last Saturday. “Carmen fights, you can fight too. Carmen organizes to get a better life, you can too.”

Originally from the Dominican Republic, Castillo has worked as a hotel housekeeper in Providence for nearly 25 years. She helped organize her coworkers into a union at what was then the Westin Hotel, after they suffered verbal abuse and harassment from management.

This experience organizing for better wages and more respect on the job was only the beginning for Castillo. She quickly got involved in local politics in her ward.

“I started working for my councilman, my best friend and my mentor, Miguel Luna,” she said.

She knocked on doors for other politicians, such as state Rep. Grace Diaz and now-City Council President Sabina Matos, and flew to California to support President Barack Obama’s campaign. 

In 2011, Luna died one year into his term, and people in the community convinced her to run for his vacant seat.

“I said, ‘No way,’ ” she said. “I was scared because my English is not that good. I have an accent. Some people made a comment like, I’m a housekeeper, what can I do?”

But she went ahead with the campaign. She recalled long days, working at the hotel during the day, campaigning in the evening and taking English classes at a public library at night.

After she won, she became even busier, fielding calls from her constituents and fighting for improvements in her ward. But she never quit her job as a housekeeper.

Why?

“It’s dignity work,” she said.

Plus, she needs the money to pay her bills, help her three daughters and support her community back in the Dominican Republic.

Standing up from the couch, she walked across the living room and opened a closet door to reveal piles of clothing and toys that she planned to ship to families in the Dominican Republic. 

“My passion is helping,” she said. “I never stop helping people.”

She hopes that the documentary will show people what they can accomplish if they work hard.

“We need to inspire these kids to make this world much better,” she said.

The premiere will be followed by a reception at Teatro ECAS Theater.

— mlist@providencejournal.com

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On Twitter: @madeleine_list