Unemployment

Election Season Reflections From A 16-Year-Old Activist

My name is Shecoria Smith, and I’m from Wilmington, North Carolina. I’ve been interested in politics and social justice for as long as I can remember. I’m a sophomore in high school, so I can’t vote yet – I have to find other ways to participate. Watching this election season unfold, I was nervous. And…

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COVID-19 and Farming in North Carolina

Jeremy King, a grain farmer from Ash, North Carolina, tells us how COVID-19 has added a level of complexity to farmers’ workflow across the region. King explains the domino affect that labor shortages, increased demand, lower prices, and changing operations have had on farmers, and he says there is concern among farmers about local mills…

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Outer Banks Bridge Closures Continue to Affect Businesses Weeks After Opening

The Outer Banks had a unique opportunity to completely shut off travel during the North Carolina’s statewide shelter-in-place order; only residents were allowed on and off of the islands. While this helped contain the spread of COVID-19, it also affected local businesses. Harvey Hess, general manager of his family-owned restaurant Capt’n Franks, and Christine Davidson,…

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Kelly & How Food Insecurity is Changing

Kelly Spivey speaks about how she has seen the food insecurity conversation change during  COVID-19. Kelly’s Community Pantry started to take the shame out of asking for help with groceries. The pantry is a public, unmanned neighborhood food cupboard providing free canned and boxed items. Now Spivey acts as a community organizer around food issues…

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Not Finished Yet

The service economy and the people that work in it have their Hurricane Florence story. The project was produced by a community journalist as part of the Narrative Arts‘ Resiliency Media Fellowship in Wilmington, North Carolina. To host a screening of this and other films in the series contact us at info@workingnarratives.org.

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Fast Food COVID-19 Special

A fast food manager in coastal North Carolina discusses how her team has put their health and safety at risk during the coronavirus pandemic – to serve milkshakes and french fries. She says her team feels unsafe and scared, and their concerns aren’t being taken seriously. Broadcast from the Working Narratives studio, this series compiles…

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Hair Salon Owner Discusses COVID-19

Le’Shawna Brunson-Smith says the stimulus bill won’t be much of a help making up for the incoming she’s losing during the coronavirus. Brunson-Smith is the owner of Ladies Hair Design on Castle Street in Wilmington, North Carolina. Since Governor Cooper ordered the shut-down of hair salons, she’s been out of work. To make up for…

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COVID-19 & Unemployment

Yasmine is a single mother living in coastal North Carolina. Since her restaurant closed, she’s been out of work – but she’s making the most of her time with her daughter. She reflects on how her day-to-day has and will continue to change in lieu of the COVID-19 pandemic. She’s changing up her routine at…

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