Clutching to her chest a framed certificate that was just presented to her, Josefa Marín approached the podium to speak as the crowd applauded. It was a sunny Saturday in early March, and Marín had never experienced a day like this one.
A can collector for 30 years, Marín was being introduced as the manager of a newly opened can redemption center in the East New York section of Brooklyn. Being the star attraction at a grand opening ceremony that attracted local politicians and reporters was an overwhelming experience for someone used to laboring in the shadows.
“We need more space like this, like we are someone,” she told the crowd, speaking in Spanish as her eyes welled with tears…