Items

• 
  2020

  From Upward Momentum to a Downhill Plummet

  Before the pandemic, things were going really well for me. I was in the second semester of my Masters program at Columbia University, putting together an exhibition that was to be displayed at the American Museum of Natural History, and had just started an internship at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The Pandemic started, and I flew home to Louisiana to quarantine with my family. In June, I realized I had two months to secure a job to stay in my apartment in Jersey City. After vacationing in Gatlinburg, I returned to spend my 24th birthday in the big apple. Unfortunately, I was unable to secure a job, forcing the breaking of my lease. I returned home October 1st.
• 
  2022-06-15

  China’s shoppers are still on strike and youth unemployment is rising

  This is a news story from CNN by Laura He. This article is on the economic impact of China's zero COVID policy. Retail sales fell 6.7% in May according to China's National Bureau of Statistics. It is slightly lower than the 11. 1% drop in sales from April. Customer spending has fallen in about every category except for food, drink, and petroleum. Youth unemployment is rising in China, as places that would hire young workers were forced to shutdown with lockdowns. The youth unemployment rate rose 18.4% between the 16-24 range in China.
• 2022-06-01

  Covid-19 Through the eyes of a young adult industry worker

  I remember the days leading up to lock down, one of my professors was warning us that if need be we would effortlessly be able to transition the remaining weeks of class online. To my peers and I, we thought that was a little extreme to talk to us about going remote, we didn't think something that was happening in another continent would reach us so quickly. Fast forward a week or two, work was so slow we were ordering food and sitting around talking for the entirety of our shift. At the time I was a host and was getting paid hourly so I didn't mind but I didn't think about the way it was affecting our bartenders and servers. Within the next two days we were shutdown and I was filing for unemployment. Interestingly enough, that time was the most money I've ever made in my life. I was collecting 2-3x more money than I would have gotten if I was working. I changed my life style, I started nannying once August of 2022 came around because I couldn't afford to only have my hourly host pay once things started to open back up again. I was eventually given a promotion at work to Bartend once my nanny family no longer needed me since they were comfortable with the kids going back to school and day care. I was making a livable wage but it was nothing compared to what sales were before covid. It was never consistent, when the numbers began to spike people, reasonably so, would stay home and money was tight. I was so unhappy at my current job I was despiertly seeking a new one but in January of 2022, it was still a little scary, numbers were spiking and finding a new industry job seemed next to impossible. I found one but it came with a lot of consequences. I struggled financially for months. If it wasn't for the support of my family, I wasn't sure if I would have been able to make rent, pay my car, or even feed myself. Thankfully as the months have gone on it's gotten better. It's now June of 2022; over two years since the pandemic first started, and while nothing is normal, it's the closest it's ever been. Those who were once in the same position as me, scared of how they were going to survive are back to making livable wages. But I won't lie, I'm still scared, there is no certainty or promise that things will stay as "normal" as they are this 2022 summer. All we can do is hope and pray, and be thankful and grateful we're here to talk about it.
• 
  2022-05-10

  Jaime J. Godinez Oral History, 2022/05/10

  Jaime Godinez is a high school U.S. history teacher in Yuma, Arizona, and an ASU graduate student being interviewed for a class assignment. Jaime gives some background on his life, including the fact that he was born in Arizona, but raised in Mexico. He discusses how his feelings have changed about COVID before the world was shut down and everyone was forced into remote work, but also more recently. Still, Jaime endured when he became unemployed and began to study at Arizona State University. However, Jaime was disappointed by the fact that he could not coach basketball. Finally, Jaime tells us how he and his family dealt with living together during the COVID-19 lockdown, including when he bought dumbbells online so he could work out at home. Jaime would have preferred to work out in a gym, much like many others, but this was a compromise that he had to make. Jaime reminds us that we must listen to medical professionals in the future and we must be socially responsible when interacting with the public.
• 
  2022-05-10

  GC Oral History, 2022/05/11

  A student describes their experience working during the Covid-19 outbreak.
• 
  2019-03-17

  My personal COVID 19 experience

  I submitted a screenshot of a test from a coworker taken on March 18,2020. I chose to submit this because it shows what the beginning of the pandemic was like for me. I had got laid off from my job at my retail job, I was nervous to leave my house, and the unemployment office was backed up more than it ever had been. Some of my coworkers had trouble filing with unemployment, and couldn't get it figured out. I waited an extra week to file just so I didn't mess it up, and do it wrong. I wanted all the errors and bugs to be worked out. It was such a unsettling time for me, and I had to move back in with my parents. There was such a large adjustment for all of us. I remember sitting on the phone with my states unemployment hotline on hold for 6 hours and getting hung up on. I cried for the rest of the night. I never thought it would end, or it would be my turn to get the help I needed, to get my questions answered. I look back on this time and am so proud and happy for how far we have come. Everyone had their own struggles, and had to think on their feet. The world had never had to deal with something like this in such a manner of urgency before. Here I stand, 2 years later with a job that is paying for my college, living in a different state, able to see finally be happy and relaxed and stable again. I am so thankful I had such a helpful and supportive group around me to get through that time. It is so refreshing to see the growth of everything and everyone the last couple years. The world can now move forward and progress as normal again.
• 
  2022-04-19

  GB Oral History, 2022/04/19

  The interviewee discusses vaccine hesitancy and life during the pandemic without having received the vaccine.
• 
  2020-04-01

  Worst April Fool’s Day

  My employer ended every person's contract in a zoom call, somewhere around 100 of us. We were all students. The ending of our contracts meant we all lost our housing since we worked for a university (this was before I was attending ASU). We were given until Sunday to have all of our belongings moved out and our keys returned, or we could pay the multiple thousands of dollars that on-campus housing would cost. Hardly any of us could afford that, some of my friends suddenly had to grapple with the idea that they would be in debt, broke, or homeless in a matter of four days. I was one of the lucky ones as I had a place to go. 1 sleepless night. 4 days. 4 trips back and forth. 11 ½ hours driving in silence. $20 spent on one final dinner with my friends and coworkers. $25 spent on moving supplies. $52 spent on gas. 506 miles. 11 ½ hours driving in silence. I drove in silence, I couldn’t handle trying to listen to anything. I couldn’t allow myself to hear a sad song and get caught up in it, or worse hear something happy and get upset that I wasn’t feeling that way. The sound of my tires on the poorly maintained interstate for what felt like truly endless hours is something I will never forget and is something that will never leave me. Rattling over pot holes, turn signals, avoiding other drivers, sitting in traffic, the sound of my new tires being worn in very quickly. This story is not unique. Countless people lost their jobs, lost their homes, lost their livelihoods during the initial shutdown. I was simply one of so many, but I was privileged enough to have a place to land. The sound of driving, the action of having to move, and the feeling of sadness, frustration, or loss due to a sudden change in life is something that I think is relatable for a lot of people during the pandemic. Audio description: Recording of the sound of my car taking the last exit off the highway into my town
• 
  05/07/2021

  Holly Tremble Oral History, 2021/05/07

  Holly Tremble lives in Hudson, Wisconsin a suburb of the Twin Cities and is currently unemployed but also is a care worker once a week at a nursing home in Northfield, Minnesota so that she can see her father during this pandemic. In this interview, Holly discusses how COVID-19 has affected her life, her employment status, and family and community life. She shares what it has been like to go through this pandemic as well as the different approaches to the pandemic that she experienced being on the border of Minnesota and Wisconsin and the difference in policies in the area.
• 
  11/24/2020

  Amy Burgoyne Oral History, 2020/11/24

  C19OH
• 
  13/11/2020

  Craig Zehms Oral History, 2020/11/13

  Sam Zehms interview's Craig Zehms.
• 
  2020-05-27

  Rosalind Leon Oral History, 2020/05/27

• 
  04/29/2020

  Daniel Blatter Oral History, 2020/04/28

  C19OH
• 
  2020-03-22

  Job Security as an Essential Worker Pride-A Meme

  When the pandemic first took place, I was working as an Executive Assistant at a Domestic Violence Agency. Our agency was initially sent home, which prompted a mad dash to learn how to hold Zoom meetings, how to securely set up working from home, getting laptops and printers to workers, and all of the other craziness associated with a rush to work from home. The first day we were sent home, I spent the day learning Zoom, checking emails and answers phone calls and texts. That was a Friday. On the following Monday, I was back in the office. No one else was there, so I could do a lot work without interruption. It was determined that our work as a domestic violence agency was essential. At the time, that was a major relief for this single mom of three girls. I remember feeling panicked about the possibility of needing to go on government aid or unemployment. So, it was a total relief to me to find out we were essential. I worked hard during that time to. It took more effort and energy to help others work from home. I was glad that I could work from my work office, but it still required a lot of extra work. After things settled a bit, I would hear about how much more people on unemployment received. It was frustrating to hear about honestly. But, at the time, this meme was exactly how I felt. I felt a lot of pride to be considered essential even if it meant more work (for less pay).
• 
  2021-05-30

  Remembering Society's Humanity

  This is a story about being a pregnant person during the pandemic
• 
  2021-01-01

  A Brief Timeline

  This brief timeline describes my experience during this pandemic. I decided to share my perspective because I am sure most people can relate.
• 
  2020-08-01

  THE PANDEMIC

  The Pandemic change my life for better.
• 2020-03

  Unimaginable Grief

  [March 2020] A month in time no one would ever want to go back to. My friend and I were enjoying our day and suddenly got news that campus will be closed until further notice. It was a scary and confusing moment; before you knew it everyone was talking about the virus. We definitely underestimated the virus and saw it spread in the blink of an eye. Slowly but surely we all began to realize how serious this was and prayed day and night for it to end. Cities went on lockdown, thousands became unemployed, and families grieved the loss of loved ones suddenly taken by this evil virus. I am so fortunate enough to have my close family and friends here with me today, but that does not mean these last one and a half years did not take a toll on me mentally. We've lost many loving family friends whom we never expected to lose this early. One thing the pandemic, thankfully, taught me is to appreciate those who you love because you do not know when they can be taken away from you. As hard as this experience was, I am grateful for the ups and downs and pray for the beautiful souls lost. Rest In Peace <3
• 
  2021-11-24

  Walking at Bear Hole with Dad

  I took this photograph with my dad when we went for a walk one day at Bear Hole, the reservoir in my town. Since the pandemic started, my dad and I would go for walks with each other, exploring new places and talking about life. My dad had recently gotten laid off, and I had made the decision in early October to study remotely instead of on campus, so we both had some extra time on our hands. We had our set of usual places that we would go to walk, but the pandemic allowed us to venture to some new spots. Even though we knew Bear Hole was so close by, neither one of us had gone to explore it much. We would plan our walks around my class and work schedule, being sure that we made time for each other a few times a week. Although making the decision to study remotely was a difficult decision because I was a senior and would be away from my friends and professors, I got to spend time with my dad in a way that we were never able to before.
• 
  2021-07-26

  HERMIT HERALD, ISSUE 122

  U.N. asked to critique America
• 
  2020

  Memes About Quarantine and Life With Covid

  During quarantine I collected many humorous memes about staying at home and the problems that brought. All sorts of subjects were covered: cooking, getting along with your spouse/roommates, homeschooling the kids, learning to bake bread, being stuck at home, sanitizing, people hoarding toilet paper, boredome, effects of isolation, etc. Here are a few of those memes.
• 
  2021-05-16

  HERMIT HERALD, ISSUE 114

  REP. MINORITY LEADER, NO BALLOT FRAUD
• 
  2021-04-24

  The Devastating Pandemic

  I have been witness to some really traumatic life events. This has made me experience the pain and agony of individuals and their families during this pandemic. This has also made me grateful for keeping me and my family safe.
• 
  2021-03-23

  #JOTPYLesson from Amy Evenson

  I've learned that small acts of kindness, go a long way. When I lost my job due to the pandemic, as the only income for my family, I was beyond stressed. When my unemployment application stalled because of the huge number of people applying for assistance, I vented on Twitter. My friends picked up the thread, started an Amazon wishlist, and within days strangers were stepping in and sending my family food, cleaning supplies, essentials, and even toys for my dog. People continued to check in for months to make sure we were doing okay. For most people who helped us, it was a $5-10 purchase; for us it was a lifeline that kept us safe, fed, healthy, and supported. It made a terrifying time a bit easier and kept us afloat until I could find another job.
• 
  2020-03-12

  Living with family during the pandemic

  December 2019, I moved to my cousin apartment in the city of New York I had just given birth to my son in September of 2019 and had my daughter who was eleven at the time. I was suppose to stay two weeks upon waiting for an apartment, however it didn't work out the way I had hope and I stayed at my cousin home three months prior to the covid -19 pandemic. My cousin and her mother decided since it's the pandemic and I can't go anywhere dur to the stay at home orders I had no other choice but to stay and pay rent. It wasn't easy because I felt that I wasn't in my own element and I felt like I was a teenager again. My own family talked to me like I was a kid and I was told what to do and what not to do. I had to sleep on my cousin pull out chair for several months during the pandemic. I questioned myself why did I came here. I consistently kept looking for an apartment, which It had turn into a year living with my cousin. Apartment hunting became very frustrating because of the demands which requires getting an apartment and no renters wanted anyone who was receiving unemployment. it's the year 2021 and I still live at my cousin apartment which is frustrating because I need my own. I ask everyone I know to keep an eye and ear open for me to get an apartment. My friend call me one day in March of 2021 and said he found an apartment for me and if I'm still interested? I am currently moving out of my cousin apartment, Thank God.
• 
  2021-03-28

  Motherhood during a pandemic

  I am researching the unintended consequences of the pandemic. One way to find some answers is to learn what real people are going through. It is easy to find people’s thoughts about the pandemic on social media, so I took to my mom groups and found people willing to let me share their thoughts anonymously. In the first screenshot, a mom talks about how she is trying to stay positive through the pandemic. From losing her job temporarily, to missing her work and family, to missing simple everyday things like shopping, this mom is feeling the brunt of lockdown in California. It is easy to pick out the negative consequences of the pandemic, but she looks for positivity anyway. The next mom is worried about how her child is going to come out on top due to homeschooling. She wants advice on how to keep her son motivated and not give up when things get hard. There is no way to tell exactly how this pandemic has affected our kids, only time will tell. But there have definitely been some unintended consequences. This example shows that while we are parents and we love our children, we have no idea what the teachers were doing to help our kids through each class before the pandemic. Perhaps one consequence of the pandemic will be a larger respect for teachers. I plan to further use social media for my research, along with academic studies, and oral interviews.
• 
  2021-03-29

  Lessening the Pandemic’s Burden on LGBTQ Workers and Families

  This article is very interesting as it mentions that LGBTQ+ people are more likely to be at higher risk to have worse COVID-19 than heterosexual counterparts. The COVID-19 Pandemic has shown the cracks that are in the LGBTQ+ community as a whole. These impacts include participating in the workforce less, less economically secure, and homelessness. Eventhough, this group has been discriminated against and continue to be in soma cases they are not alone feeling the brunt of this COVID-19 Pandemic. Other groups include communities of color, low-income households, and people with disabilities. This pandemic has caused people to start to notice these disparities and as someone who is apart of the LGBTQ+ community, there is a higher chance of not receiving a job based on just this fact. I have seen this in action in my own life before and it is not always blatant and more work needs to be done on this front.
• 
  2020-07-22

  The Domino Effect of the California Child Care Crisis

  This highlights how much the pandemic has affected child care workers and programs in California as health concerns continue to rise. It's yet another industry that was impacted greatly as many were out of a job and struggling financially. Not only does it emphasize the economic impacts on an industry, along with the needs for more health safety measures and the need to increase budgets for that, it’s effectively keeping those who need the child care services away.
• 
  2021-02-02

  Southern NM County Mandates COVID-19 Vaccine for First Responders Including Sheriff's Deputies

  This article discusses a recent mandate from the Dona Ana County government, which is seated in Las Cruces, New Mexico, that orders all its first responders to submit to vaccination. To my knowledge, this is the first such mandate in the United States, and it illuminates the relative lack of control first responders have over their lives once they enter their respective profession. The order is likely to be contested, particularly when such requirements have not historically been a condition on employment, The order reads in part, "Being vaccinated is a requirement and a condition of on-going employment with the County due to the significant health and safety risks posed by contracting or spreading COVID-19." The order applies to all paid personnel in the county's law enforcement, fire, detention, and medical professions.
• 
  2020-08-18

  Reparations in America

  "Reparations is very important. Here in America, Black women are saddled with the highest amount of student debt in the country. For Black women in Boston, their median net worth is $8. In Los Angeles, the median value of assets for Black families is $200. In St. Paul, according to ISIAH, Blacks are 120% more unemployed than their white counterparts." - Trahern Crews Protestors gathered at the Minnesota Governor's Residence on August 16th to demand the United States government pay reparations to American Descendants of Slavery for 400 years of slavery, redlining, lynching, mass incarceration, and discrimination in education, housing, and employment. Photos from Reparations Rally In Honor of George Floyd, August 16, 2020
• 
  2020-11-16

  Militarization of Police

  The militarization of America's police first came in reaction to riots occurring in cities during the 1960s. These events were often in reaction to discrimination, poverty, high unemployment, inadequate schools, poor healthcare, limited housing options, and police brutality. In 1968, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed into law the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968. The Act created the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration, which made available grants to local governments to develop and purchase military-type resources to suppress riots. The money expedited the development of SWAT and other heavily armored police forces in cities to counteract uprisings.
• 
  2021-02-28

  Me Versus covid

  This is a short written by myself, it expresses the pain and emotion that emerged since the beginning of COVID-19. Although the poem contains a lot of humorism it captures raw expressions, raw emotions all the same time.
• 
  2021-02-14

  My Story: I Got COVID-19 Because of ICE

  I am sending a diary style writing where I share my experience during the pandemic. I focus on the issue of ICE during the pandemic. Before the lockdowns, my uncle was detained by ICE and was deported during the pandemic. My uncle has been living in the US for 25+ years and Mexico, my uncle's home country, has changed a lot since he last lived there. For that reason, I went to Mexico to take him home. This made me get COVID.
• 
  2021-02-24

  Same Country Two Seperate Lives

  This tweet is a great example of how different the pandemic was handled in Florida. This was tweeted on May 4th, 2020. It was the first day that Florida opened back up after shutting down for the month of April. This is significant in my experience of the pandemic because I have friends and family down here in Florida with me, where the pandemic isn’t taken as seriously. I also have friends and family up north in Wisconsin where the pandemic is handled completely different. For instance, Wisconsin didn’t open back up until late June. Since I live in Florida where stores and beaches opened up quickly, I was able to spend a lot of time outside swimming and relaxing by the beach before I went back to school in fall. This made the whole “quarantine” less miserable for me whereas I know people up north that struggled immensely as they were stuck in a shut down. The cold, gloomy weather in Wisconsin doesn’t help their case either. Additionally, my mom was able to get a job down here in Florida because she’s a teacher and schools are open and have in person learning. On the contrary, my brother who just graduated college in spring of 2020 and lives in Wisconsin still hasn’t found a job. It is now February 24th, 2021. Many companies have lost revenue by having to shut down for a few months and as a result, they let many employees go and are not looking to hire anyone else. The only potential new opportunity risen from this pandemic is that some jobs are all online now. This allows my brother to apply for jobs outside of Wisconsin if he is desperate enough. Overall, as a college student here in Florida, my life has not changed significantly. I still go to class, I still go to the beaches, and I still go shopping as long as I have my mask.
• 2020-02-24

  My Coronavirus Experience

  In the beginning of the pandemic, I immediately realized how a large portion of the public was not focused on the virus itself, but the racial controversy of the virus' origin. This was unnerving to the core, because it is a fact that COVID-19 came from China. While it was unacceptable to accept this as fact, MERS literally stands for Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome. It is clear that there was a pro-CCP agenda being pushed in the background when propagating the "COVID Safety" spiel. As time went on, more and more inconsistencies began popping up. Beauty and barber shops closed, but Nancy Pelosi is more than welcome to get her hair done. Masks become required to enter any building or participate in society at all, but when the new President was sworn in, the spectators were sitting shoulder-to-shoulder and masks were few and far between. What my story says about the pandemic is that while we may have had a real potential global crisis, I believe things were skewed, twisted, and flipped so that it is most convenient for those who hold the power, and not done in the best interest of the American people. An example of this in real life was how the Los Angeles Lakers, Ritz Carlton, and Bank of America (per store) were able to get PPP loans, drain the pool of PPP money, and leave small business owners fighting for crumbs. I have linked a Washington Post article below that expands on the PPP loan problem and how our government failed small business. The pandemic I fear will have long-lasting, Orwellian effects on our society in the sense that those in power will continue to use fear mongering to control the public through COVID. Even though a vast majority of the population has already had it and are building antibodies, Western European-style, 1940s era vaccination cards are beginning to circulate. I fear these cards will be the new "gold star" or "Scarlet Letter'', except those without it would be barred from society, rather than those with it. In my opinion, COVID today is what AIDS was in the eighties. Lots of unanswered questions, lots of fear, and government intervention so that free thinking is minimized. These three, and you have a perfect recipe for controlling the masses. Both diseases were politicized to death, and public opinion of the disease swung back and forth with politicization. If AIDS was blown up to the proportion that COVID was, I couldn't imagine the backlash the political and science communities would get from a certain demographic of people who are very vocal and have a statistically higher likelihood of contracting HIV. I hypothesize that pandemic would turn into pandemonium. With that, my experience during quarantine was as expected. Mental health suffered due to lack of human interaction and ability to go outside, and physical health suffered due to inability to go outside and lack of motivation which was connected to mental health. The main positive thing from the pandemic I can identify is the performance of my stock portfolio. Even though I lost my job due to COVID, I was still able to afford rent, food, and supplies to stay hunkered down in my new $900/month prison for my three month sentence. Another big positive from the quarantine was my savings. The pandemic helped me realize how much unnecessary or emotional spending I do. It helped me point out lots of bad habits I have so I can work on fixing them. Things like spending money when I'm sad, and identifying vices that hold me back in my day-to-day. While the pandemic brought a lot of negatives to me and the world around me, I believe there are some positive things to take away from it. Opening your mind to more than what the government feeds you, appreciating every moment you have, embracing new hobbies, and learning how to maneuver through change. These are all things the pandemic has taught me, but if I had the option, I wouldn't do it again. In terms of being a part of history, simply by living you are a part of history. I was at Sloan-Kettering in NYC with my family getting a life-extending cancer treatment for my father when 9/11 happened. He was one of three patients that day because while in surgery, the first plane hit the towers. The rest of the patients to be seen that day were canceled. I suppose the point I am trying to make is that history is subjective. 9/11 wasn’t 9/11 to me. 9/11 was the day I was blessed with enough time to make some foundational memories of my father before he passed. It can be argued that since I have been invested in GameStop since November, I was a part of history there too. I went to the Game 7 Cardinals vs. Red Sox World Series Game in Fenway Park. The game that broke the Bambino Curse. Again, it could be argued that I was a part of history there too, except my three year old self was asleep for the last two innings. History is subjective, and every day, everyday people like you and I make history. Historians and memoirists will use these events in the future to write articles, make movies and tv shows, write books, and extrapolate many other kinds of art from it. However, most often historical stories are told through a lens of subjectivity, and because of that, eventually all history becomes skewed to the point where it is indistinguishable from fable.
• 
  2020-09-25

  A City Once Busy

  I once used to walk this street on my way to work at a restaurant. I always loved how busy it was, seeing the streets overcrowded with people who had places to be. When I lost my job because of the pandemic in March I had to go home for 7 months. At the beginning I think we all thought that things would have turned around by the time the leaves started to fall. When I came back, I went downtown to visit the restaurant I had once worked at. The restaurant was boarded up still and the streets were mostly empty, and I felt kind of empty too.
• 2021-01-07

  Covid-19 Christmas

  On March 13, 2020, America went into lockdown because of the virus of Covid-19. People lost jobs, and people in they're family, things became a lot different. Eight months later, it's Christmas time yet again. This year, it was a lot different for a lot of families, including mine. Lots of people weren't in the Christmas spirit since it was such a rough year, but even more people decided to embrace being at home and go all out with decorations, and anything 'Christmas' they could get their hands on. If I'm being honest here, kids all over the world look forward to gifts under the tree on Christmas morning. This year, since people where unemployed, and struggled to get things for their children. A lot of kids didn't get many or even anything this year. My family was very fortunate this year to even be able to celebrate Christmas since they both lost they're jobs back in March. Every Christmas, we do the same thing, stay at home so this year wasn't much different from the rest. This year really impacted a lot of people, but we all got through!
• 
  2020-03-18

  The Families First Coronavirus Response Act Helps Employees Everywhere

  On March 18, 2020, President Trump signed into law the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). This act provided additional flexibility for state unemployment insurance agencies and funding to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic. This act requires certain employers to provide their employees with paid sick leave or expanded family and medical leave for specified reasons that relate to Covid-19. To receive these unemployment insurance benefits, you need to file a claim with the unemployment insurance program in the state you work. Employees everywhere are put on sick leave everyday due to coronavirus. This act gives them more support and sanity to help them in their day to day lives whether it is to help support family or pay expenses.
• 
  2020-12-07

  The impact COVID 19 has had on workers in the service industry

  The Phenomenon our group is providing insight into is the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on workers in the service industry. We will discuss the number of jobs lost/created and look into the workers’ treatment in the service industry. We are focusing on the personal experiences of some of the members of our group and others who are working during COVID 19. Some of our group members work in the service industry and have to work during this difficult time. The essay will provide first-hand insight and shed light on the issues that essential works are currently facing.
• 
  2020-09-15

  Jewish Melbourne: Jewish Care blog post - 'what can be done if you're unemployed during coronavirus'

  An article by Simon Jedwab, Program Manager - Employment Centre, providing advice and support for people who are unemployed during the pandemic
• 
  2020-08-17

  Jewish Melbourne: NCJWA (Vic) Covid taskforce response on child safety

  Information provided by NCJWA (Vic) to provide advise to community members on ensuring child safety during pandemic times.
• 
  2020-10-28

  Workers Laid off at The Happiest Place on Earth

  Over 11,350 workers, including 720 actors and singers were laid off by Walt Disney World on 28th of October, 2020. The layoffs were a part of Walt Disney’s Co. to eliminate jobs in different divisions to meet the requirements of cost, and restrictions amid the pandemic. Kate Shindle, the president of actor equity association said “Our heart goes out to all cast members at Walt Disney World, Disney has made it clear that our members would face work reduction since they announced layoffs of nearly 28,000 employees .That doesn’t make this news less painful”. The union said that laying off performers would maintain their right to be recalled for job openings until the end of 2021.
• 
  2020-11-17

  Women Face Unique Issues During Pandemic

  For millions of working women, the coronavirus pandemic has delivered a rare and ruinous setback. Job losses, childcare closings and remote schooling are not just pushing women out of jobs they held, but also preventing many from seeking new ones.
• 
  11/18/2020

  Ashley Trayler Oral History, 2020/11/18

  The interview is with Ashley Trayler, a senior undergraduate student majoring in Criminal Justice and Psychology. Ashley is not only a student but a mother of a two-year-old named Adrian. In the interview, Ashley discusses her life before the pandemic, which involved taking care of her son and working full time at a call center. Once the pandemic hit, Ashley was impacted by job loss, facing financial obstacles, and being a college student transitioning to virtual school. Ashley has made many sacrifices to adapt to obstacles that have come her way caused by COVID-19, but she has remained strong by taking herself and prioritizing her health to be the best mother, student, and person she can be.
• 
  2020-03-30

  From Dine In to Takeout: Staying Connected With Thai Dee Restaurant

  For my friends and I, Thai Dee is our most cherished gathering spot. It is a local San Antonio restaurant that is tucked away in a small building next to a convenience store. The restaurant is centrally located and 15 minutes away from where we all live and work. Thai Dee is the community dining room for my family and friends. We celebrate all our special occasions here in addition to frequenting the restaurant on a weekly basis. It is both a treat and a part of our daily lives to eat at Thai Dee as it is for hundreds of other customers. These last few months have felt strange not being able to eat inside their restaurant. The pandemic hit Thai Dee hard at first. In March they had to lay off all their waitstaff and close their busy dining room. I was laid off from my full-time job too, but I continued to support them with the little money I earned from my part-time job. I turned my weekly dine-in visits to takeout orders. I did my best to support them, but instead I found that they wanted to support me. The family who owns the restaurant has always treated me like a member of their family. When they found out that I had been laid off, the owner sweetly yet sternly told me not to leave them tips anymore. She advised me to save up all the money I had and assured me that they were okay. She would not process any tips I tried to leave on my card. Her son then told me that if I ever got to a point where I was hungry and had no money that I should call him. He would never let me go hungry. I thanked them and started crying as soon as I exited the building. I felt so loved and cared for in that moment. When I opened my bag of food, I found a complimentary order of mango and sweet sticky rice—my favorite dessert. They have since done this for me several times. Back in March I didn’t know if I would be able to return to my job, or if the company was just going to fold. I never shared these anxieties with them, and yet they helped ease them with their kind gestures. The closure of Thai Dee’s dining room saw business slow down at first. When this happened, I sent a text to my friends who immediately went and ordered food. My friends and other regular customers are now back in the habit of ordering Thai Dee’s on a regular basis. Thai Dee has many other loyal customers who love the restaurant and family as much as I do. The walls are adorned with Christmas cards, postcards, and photographs of newborn babies all given to them by devoted patrons. Even former San Antonio Spur, Sean Elliot, has several photos with the Thai Dee crew on the wall. For myself and other regulars, not a week goes by where I don’t go to Thai Dee. My visits give me a sense of normalcy. Even though I miss the social gathering space their dining room provided, I still get to eat the best Thai food in San Antonio and check in with my dear friends who own the restaurant. If I did not have regular access to them my pandemic experience would be miserable. Thai Dee is an icon of San Antonio and they have helped me through this time more than they know. Although Covid-19 disrupted my dining experience, it only strengthened my patronage and bond with the Thai Dee family.
• 
  2020-08-03

  Pandemic and Social Justice Movement in the workplace

  This article is explaining how work environments will be changing, and for the better. The author explains how not only has the pandemic shown how flexible a work environment can be as far as working digitally and from home. The author also explains how the management of most workplaces need to be more flexible and diverse. The author also explains how we can better the work environment for social justice and lists a few ways.
• 2020-10-30

  Cruise I : Fillipinos

  I remember the announcement in the crew area. All internationals were to go to HR. With international borders closing the cruise ship needed to send all the internationals home. Both my roommates were international, one from Colombia and one from the Philippines. It was an incredibly hectic time, something 20-30 year veterans of the cruise industry never experienced. Being sent home before a contract was finished due to an operational shutdown. The Filipinos were the blood of the ship. Nearly every leadership position in management was held by one. So when the announcement was made there were a lot of questions as to how the ship would continue to operate. Regardless however the company needed to get these people home before they had an even bigger problem on their hand. I wonder if they are doing okay. Since cruise ships are down, they must all still be unemployed. The international lines don't really have many workers' rights, so if you are unemployed you don't get paid. I hope they are able to sort things out.
• 
  2020-10-28

  Pandemic Playlist: Reflections of Quarantine Life Through Music

  In March I was laid off from my full-time job of 6 years. Those first few weeks of unemployment found me struggling to stay productive and positive. With too much time on my hands I did what any well-adjusted person would do in that situation—listened to sad music to make myself feel worse. Tom Waits – More Than Rain Like many Americans, I live paycheck to paycheck. I knew that missing even one pay period would mean falling behind on several bills. I get paid weekly which means that even though I don’t make a lot of money, I at least always have enough to make it through to next Friday. Being broke made me feel like a failure. I resented my pre-pandemic life of always being so busy and going the extra mile at work. What did I have to show for it? “None of our pockets, are lined with gold Nobody's caught the bouquet There are no dead presidents we can fold Nothing is going our way” The “our” in this song made me think of all the other people who were in the same situation as me. I was sad not just for myself, but for everyone else who was out of a job. It reminded me to be grateful for the things I still had. Tom Waits is someone who I admire for his humor, but this particular song is void of any playfulness. The best way I can describe this song is to call it a cross between a lullaby for pirates and a circus ballad for depressed clowns. It features a melancholic vocal and a wearisome accordion sluggishly making its way through the song. “It's more than rain that falls on our parade tonight It's more than thunder It's more than thunder” The pandemic is much bigger than what we initially took it for. It’s poverty, depression, isolation, death… The Specials – Ghost Town The Specials are my favorite band, and this song which is perpetually on my playlist took on several new meanings for me. “Ghost Town” was originally written in response to unemployment and racial tensions in Thatcher era England. Now the song seems as though it was written against the backdrop of Trumpism. “This town, is coming like a ghost town All the clubs have been closed down This place, is coming like a ghost town Bands won't play no more” Driving around downtown San Antonio during the early days of quarantine was incredibly eerie. All the usual sights had vanished: tourists waiting at crosswalks, work trucks driving to their next job sites, bicyclists slowing down traffic, mariachis playing at restaurants, and people strolling the Riverwalk. San Antonio was dead. “This place, is coming like a ghost town No job to be found in this country Can't go on no more The people getting angry” The harmonized ghostly screeches in the chorus set the spooky tone for the song. How can we possibly live in a city that is dead? When everything was closed, I felt like a ghost--dead and unable to enjoy my favorite hobbies. I couldn’t visit friends, travel, or waste time browsing clothing stores. I had a difficult time figuring out how to enjoy life. Ginger Rogers – We’re in the Money Of course a depression era song would resonate with me. For the first time ever I had money in my savings account. This was only possible because I was temporarily laid off and able to receive unemployment benefits. I begrudgingly went back to work when my boss received a Paycheck Protection Program loan. Not only did I have to work in-person putting my health at risk, but I also had to do so at my regular pay rate which was much lower than my unemployment benefits. Body Count – Body Count I discovered this song while watching a video montage of BLM protests on Instagram. I was immediately drawn to Ice-T’s angry vocals complemented by an equally aggressive punk rock backing. The lyrics sound like they written this year, but they are from 1992—a year after the Los Angeles riots. “God damn, what a brother gotta do To get a message through To the red, white and blue What? I gotta die? Before you realize I was a brother with open eyes” The Specials – B.L.M. Just like Ice-T, The Specials have been singing about Black lives for decades. In 1980, Specials guitarist Lynval Golding wrote a song called “Why?” after he was violently attacked because of his race. In that song he seeks understanding and asks his attackers “Why did you try to hurt me?” Almost 40 years later, Golding wrote another song about his experiences with racism. Again, he takes a gentle approach by telling the listener: “I'm not here to teach you I'm not here to preach to you I just want to reach out and say Black lives matter” Cher – Chiquitita These days everything exhausts me, and I feel like I have no time to rest. As soon as Cher opens with “Chiquitita tell me what’s wrong?” I start crying. Thanks for checking up on me, Cher. As with most of her songs, I get happy when her music comes on because I know I’m about to do an ugly sing-along. Nowadays this song just hits different. “You were always sure of yourself / Now I see you’ve broken a feather” I have never felt so uneasy and uncertain in all my life. I used to be the shoulder to cry on when my friends needed comfort. I no longer have the energy to offer my strength. Lila Downs – Una Cruz de Madera Despite being a song about death, the Lila Downs version is a happy, upbeat tune. She turns it into a party song. The overall translation of the song captures how I want my loved ones to handle my passing. Instead of a fancy funeral, I’d prefer a big party in my honor. I don’t want my family and friends to shed tears, or feel any sadness. The only thing I want at my wake is a serenade in the early morning. Toots – Got to Be Tough Toots is one of those artists who radiates positivity. It’s hard to be in a bad mood when his upbeat tempos and powerful, soulful voice booms through the speakers. I saw him perform live a few years ago and watched him with awe. He would step away from the microphone and continue singing at an impressively loud volume—his voice filling up every corner of the auditorium. I was pressed up against the stage because he motioned for everyone to get closer. Toots came over to me several times and squeezed my hand and sang directly to me. In those moments I felt so happy and lucky to be alive. My best friend was right next to me and we both had tears in our eyes. How lucky we were that this Jamaican icon came all the way to perform for us in a stuffy San Antonio venue! We swore that we would see Toots again. I was excited when Toots dropped his new single “Got to Be Tough” earlier in the year. It meant that a tour would follow. The song itself was also a great comfort. “Got to be tough when things get rough You got to be tough and this is a warning You got to be smart, living in this time It's not so easy to carry on” Sadly, Toots passed away from Covid-19 two weeks after his “Got to Be Tough” album was released. Listening to the title single doesn’t bring me much comfort anymore. It makes me think of how excited I was that I was going to see him next year. Now it just makes me nostalgic for the days when we could go to shows and experience a more intimate connection with music. Nothing beats bonding with thousands of strangers who are singing, crying, and dancing to the same music as you. The song makes me miss being as happy as I was that day Toots held my hand and sang to me.
• 
  10/10/2020

  Scott Adams Oral History, 2020/10/10

  Scott Adams, a graduate student at Arizona State University, lives in Camarillo, California. In this interview, he reflects on the COVID-19 pandemic and how it has affected his life. He highlights the effects the pandemic and quarantine has had on mental health and employment. He also touches on the division caused by COVID-19, politics, and the politicization of the pandemic by both the right-wing and left-wing. Scott also describes the precautions taken by he and his friends to avoid catching the virus, and how the quarantine and the current political divide has affected their relationships.
• 
  2020-03-18

  The Las Vegas Strip Shuts Down

  I remember the first day the strip closed I ran into a guy at the gas statio who had to clear out the treasure island casino. He told me it was a very eerie feeling. This was March 17th or 18th I believe. This is importtant to me becuase of what it represents. For example, Nevada had an unemployemnt rate of nearly 25% due to the shutdown. This not only hurt 25% of the population, but all of the surrounding businesses as well that rely on the strip to bring in customers. *Photograph of the Las Vegas Strip taken by CBS local news