Unemployment: Share Your Story

Urgent Action Needed to Help Unemployed North Carolinians

The $600 weekly federal emergency unemployment supplement has been keeping hundreds of thousands of North Carolina families afloat throughout the COVID crisis. Now that the Senate has allowed the federal supplement to expire, North Carolinians who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own are finding out that they can’t even come close to making ends meet with state benefits alone. The situation is growing desperate fast, as more and more unemployed people face utility shutoffs and even evictions.

Take action! Record your own video message and send it to Senators Thom Tillis and Richard Burr to let them know you are holding them accountable for leaving North Carolinians behind, and to demand that they push for an immediate extension of the $600 weekly supplemental benefit.

Here are step-by-step instructions for how to make and share your video:

  • Find a quiet, well-lit location.
  • Using a smartphone or laptop with a camera, share your message to our Senators.
  • If you yourself are experiencing unemployment, you can talk about what the federal supplement meant to you, what you’re receiving now, and how it’s impacted you and your family or household.
  • If you aren’t unemployed, you can talk about how you feel about the suffering your fellow North Carolinians are experiencing because of federal inaction.
  • Speak slowly and clearly. Keep your video to 30 seconds or less, and focus on the most important points: how this is affecting North Carolina, how you feel about the Senate’s inaction, and what you want the Senators to do about it. Plan to do a few takes to get it the way you want it!
  • When your video is ready, post it to your Twitter or Facebook account and tag Senators Tillis and Burr:
    • Senator Tillis on Twitter: @thomtillis
    • Senator Tillis on Facebook: @senatorthomtillis
    • Senator Burr on Twitter: @senatorburr
    • Senator Burr on Facebook: @senatorrichardburr
    • You can also tag the NC Justice Center so we can retweet/repost your videos! On Twitter and Facebook: @ncjustice.