Take a Stand for the 99ers

Many working Americans are desensitized to the plight of over 70 Million unemployed Americans thereby creating misconceptions about the unemployed. These misconceptions have affected their ability to become re-gain employment and receive assistance. Only awareness can dispel these untruths to help Americans get back to work and create a national camaraderie among Americans.  

Founded by Jamilah Humphrey and Sharon Moore in 2010, the Orange Shirt Campaign to Make the Unemployed Visible, goal is to have as many unemployed persons wear an orange t-shirt or shirt on the Labor Day holiday.

Labor Day is appropriate given it is a day to celebrate the American worker. Their ingenuity, creativity, capacity, and manufacturing excellence ushered in an era of U.S. economic development which other countries have yet to rival.  This new economy created by the American worker created middle-class wage earners that made the American dream not only possible but also created a new generation of Millionaires.

At risk now is our quality of life because of cognitive dissonance, the holding of contradictory or otherwise incompatible attitudes, beliefs. This psychological impairment allows humans to ignore reality because of disbelief. Examples would be not evacuating an area because the danger hasn’t reached you or not doing anything about global warming because the ice caps haven’t melted yet. In both cases when the danger actual reaches you it is too late. As humans we disassociate with problems that do not directly affect us.   

This has caused the vast numbers of unemployed to be INVISIBLE to those with jobs. Employers, the Media and our government have played an important role in allowing unemployment to be hidden from our day-to-day lives.  

In this day and age most employers require applicants to submit resumes on line for open positions. This invisible process takes away the visual impact of 1,000 people or more lined up to complete an application for fewer than 10 job openings. Employers and Job Search companies are not required show the actual number job openings and the actual number of online applicant submissions.

There are no news crews scurrying to film thousands of persons lining up to apply for fewer than five (5) jobs as was done in the 1980’s. News agencies are not even interested in the type of journalism required in this century. Very few report the facts without a slant for sensationalism or partisanship. Current technology affords media outlets the ability to data mine and hire enough (unpaid) interns (the new hiring rage) to accomplish the task but they do not. Imagine the impact it would have if the media were able to report real unemployment figures with meaningful comparisons and contrasts.

Our government ignores actual unemployment figures and reports only their defined official record. In reality there are six levels of unemployment figures that take into account different information. Our government only reports an “Official” number based on those currently receiving unemployment benefits. This is called U3. That’s what the media reports to us. Unemployment levels actually range from U1 to U6. The U5 definition includes: the “Official” unemployment rate; those who have stopped looking for work; and those who "would like" and are able to work, but have not looked for work recently. They are also called 99ers. When they are included with the official rate it gleans a truer figure of joblessness in America, 15.8% not 9%.

Without truth and transparency working Americans are lead to falsely believe that unemployed Americans are unemployed because they are: lazy and don’t want to work; are drug addicts; don’t deserve benefits beyond exhausted unemployment compensation; are looking for a handout; should have term limits on assistance; are not smart; are bad or poor workers; among other misconceptions. Americans have been pitted against each other. Some actually believe that the Mexicans are to blame and are taking all the jobs. Our focus should be on policy, labor practices and transparency as well as social constructs to aid each other.

Even food distribution has been handled differently to hide the numbers of individuals and families needing assistance. There is no commodity cheese line. Food assistance is all handled electronically. You may apply in person or online for services. In many DHS offices a bank of computers are set up to encourage online application. Even States are reducing the number employees they need to accept your application for help. WIC along with most benefits are provided on a card to be swiped at the grocer. There is no non-profit for an individual to go and stand in line. It’s all dignified and private now days. No one to know you are unemployed and need help. We are creating a society of non empathic persons. 

Currently there are 311,698,357 million American with approximately 236,078,754 million of working age according to the U.S. Census. Of these over 14,164,725 million are unemployed.  That’s the entire population of New York, Los Angeles and Chicago combined.  Imagine going to these places to find no one there. The buildings, streets railways and cars all empty, a ghost town. Some States unemployment rate would equal cities such as Ann Arbor or, Providence, RI, Chattanooga TN, Sious Falls SD, Springfield MO, Dayton OH, Alexandria VA, Joliet IL, Kansas City KS

 What can you do?

1.                  Keep this email going! Encourage every unemployed person you know to wear an Orange Shirt on Labor Day, become visible.

2.                  Join with us and others to get the message out about 99ers (U5-6 persons)

3.                  Post a comment or tell your unemployment story on our Blog http://www.orangeshirtcampaign.blogspot.com/ or Facebook Fan page.

4.                  Become an organizer in your area to promote the idea to wear an Orange Shirt

5.                  Join our effort to post a montage video or get your local news station to set up and video 30 second messages from the unemployed.

6.                  Write a letter to your Congress person, State Representative, and local politician and simply write “I am unemployed and I am Visible” . Sign your name and provide contact information if you can.

7.                  Send us an email at OrangeShirtCampaign@comcast.com

8.                  Talk with your local union to see if they will ask their laid off workers to wear an Orange Shirt in their Labor Day Parade this year.

9.                  Make a Scroll or get permission to use a wall and allow all those unemployed to sign their names and year they became unemployed.

10.              Offer to help a relative/neighbor/friend to find a job, get some food, wash up, comb their hair, borrow toilet paper, get medicine, pick something from your garden; let your humanity flow (in a safe way) to help others.