After 110 years, the U.S. Navy finally has its first Black female tactical jet pilot! Her path was paved by the iconic Bessie Coleman: the first BIPOC female pilot, who saw aviation as a way to empower women and people of color in the United States.

Born to poor sharecropper parents in 1892, Bessie Coleman, one of 13 children, had a hardscrabble childhood in rural east Texas raised by a single mom — but she soared past her humble beginnings to become the first African-American and Native American female pilot. Known for performing daredevil flying tricks, she was dubbed “Queen Bess,” “Brave Bessie,” and “The Only Race Aviatrix in the World.” Her goal? To encourage women — especially African-American and other women of color — to reach their dreams.

Humble Beginnings

Her mother was an African-American maid; her father, a Native American sharecropper. When Bessie was 9, her father moved back to Oklahoma to try and escape discrimination. Bessie’s mother did not go with him, staying in Waxahachie, Texas. Childhood was what you might imagine for poor African-American children in the racially-divided South at that time. She walked four miles to a one-room schoolhouse that lacked the basic materials that most students take for granted today, and helped her Mom pick cotton and wash laundry to help earn extra money. But despite these humble beginnings, Bessie excelled at mathematics, and she finished all eight grades.

College, Chicago, and Falling in Love with Flight

By the time she turned 18, Bessie had saved enough money to attend the Colored Agricultural and Normal University — today Langston University — in Langston, Oklahoma, but completed only one semester before running out of money, and returning to Waxahachie, Texas.

When she turned 23, Bessie decided to move to Chicago, where she moved in with one of her brothers. She went to beauty school in 1915 and became a manicurist at the White Sox Barber Shop. Chicago is where she fell in love with flying; she would listen for hours on end to pilots’ stories about their adventures during World War I.

Her two brothers served in the military during World War I and came home with tales from their time in France — where French women were allowed to learn how to fly airplanes. This fueled her dreams of becoming a pilot. Bessie applied to many flight schools across the United States but received countless rejections; no school would accept her because she was both a woman and a woman of color. Her brother teased her, saying that women in France were better than those in the United States because they were allowed to fly. Bessie — determined to fly — decided to take her dream across the pond to France, where she could become a pilot.

Vive le France

With support from a local banker and famed Chicago Defender newspaper publisher, Robert Abbott (one of the first self-made African American millionaires), she took a crash course in French from the Berlitz language school so that she could complete her application, which needed to be in French. At long last, she was accepted at the Caudron Brothers’ School of Aviation — founded by sibling aviation pioneers René and Gaston Caudron, in Le Crotoy, in northern France. Triumphant, she set off for Paris on November 20, 1920, aboard the ocean liner S.S. Imperator.

She began a seven-month flight course, learning to fly in a Nieuport Type 82 — a fragile, 27-foot long biplane, with a 40-foot wingspan. Not the steadiest craft, Coleman had to inspect it tip to tail before every flight. She learned aerial maneuvers like tail spins, banking, and loop-the-loops, but also witnessed an accident that killed another student. On June 15, 1921, Bessie Coleman became the first African-American and Native American woman to earn an international pilot’s license, granted by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale, an organization that oversees aeronautic sports, that gave her the right to fly anywhere in the world. After several months of additional training with a top French pilot, Coleman was ready to return home and fulfill her dream of owning a plane and opening her own flight school stateside.

Bessie Coleman: The Sky Kissing Sensation

When she returned to New York City in September of 1921, The Associated Press lauded her as “a full-fledged aviatrix, said to be the first of her race.” Coleman gave speeches and showed films of her airborne exploits in theaters, schools, and churches to earn money — but refused to speak anywhere that was segregated, or that discriminated against people of color. In 1922, Coleman performed the first public flight by an African American and Native American woman. She dazzled onlookers with her daring stunts — showing off her aerial skills by doing loop-the-loops, making the figure “8” with her plane, and became famous for walking on the wings of her plane while aloft or parachuting down while a co-pilot took the controls.

Her performances riveted people in both the United States and Europe. Her aerial exploits were widely covered by the press — particularly in black newspapers — and she became a glamorous sensation. Coleman toured the United States, giving flight lessons, performing in aerial shows, and inspiring African Americans, Native Americans, and women to learn how to fly.

A Plane of Her Own

Eventually, Coleman saved up enough money to buy her own plane: a military surplus Curtiss JN-4, known colloquially as a Jenny. She went to Santa Monica, California to pick it up. While there, Coleman was to perform at an air show — but instead ended up surviving her first major plane crash. As she was taking off to fly to the Los Angeles Fairgrounds, the site of her show, her engine suddenly stopped working, and she plummeted from 300 feet up to the ground. She destroyed her plane and sustained severe injuries, including a broken leg, several cracked ribs, cuts on her face — but was able to fully heal and went back to performing daredevil aerial stunts in 1925.

It All Comes Tumbling Down

By April 1926, Coleman had saved enough money to purchase another surplus Jenny plane. She scheduled an aerial show for May 1. On April 30, Coleman and her co-pilot, William Wills, took a practice flight in the new plane. Coleman sat in the passenger seat, unharnessed so that she could peer over the side of the plane once in the sky and find a good place for her parachute landing during the show. But at 3,500 feet in the air, a loose wrench got stuck in the engine of the plane, and Wills was unable to control the steering wheel. The plane flipped over — and Coleman immediately fell from the open plane and died instantly on impact. She was 34. Wills crashed the plane just a few feet from Coleman’s body; he also died. Her death was heartbreaking. More than 10,000 people came to pay their respects, with the journalist Ida B. Wells — famed for her crusade against lynching — leading the ceremonies.

She was never able to open her flight school, but many flight clubs have since been named in her honor. In 1931, the Challenger Pilots’ Association of Chicago began a tradition of flying over Coleman’s grave every year; in 1977, African American female pilots created the Bessie Coleman Aviators Club; and in 1995, the Bessie Coleman stamp was issued to honor her accomplishments. At a time when flights are largely grounded due to COVID-19, we remember Bessie Coleman, who saw aviation as a way to empower people of color in the United States.

About the author.
An award-winning creator and digital health, wellness, and lifestyle content strategist — Karina writes, edits, and produces compelling content across multiple platforms — including articles, video, interactive tools, and documentary film. Her work has been featured on MSN Lifestyle, Apartment Therapy, Goop, Psycom, Pregnancy & Newborn, Eat This Not That, thirdAGE, and Remedy Health Media digital properties.

This past year, we’ve seen individuals and organizations alike using their voices to speak their values. But such moves are not without controversy. Only a few years ago, the Kellogg Foundation drew ire for funding support of BLM and an ad for Cheerios featuring a mixed-race family faced a deluge of hate comments. Advertising that depicts LGBTQ folks has also garnered criticism. This comes from both detractors and the communities represented themselves.

Advertising can play a role in advancing social justice. Through greater public representation and funding support for strategic initiatives, businesses can help.

Gay Money Talks

LGBTQ purchasing power in the US hovers around $1 trillion. Globally, that number is around $3.7 trillion. Yes, the advantage of affluence in the community disproportionately benefits white cis gay men. But we are undeniably a huge market segment. Queer folks want to see messages of support and representation in advertising.

On the flip side, it was widely publicized in 2012 that Chick-fil-A Foundation donated to two anti-gay organizations. Their mostly conservative fanbase doubled down on their support. They were met with kiss-ins and ridicule. Perhaps it was their expansion into more liberal cities — rather than protests and education efforts — that led to an end of that funding support. Right wing pundits criticized the switch.

When social movements reach a tipping point of public support, advertising can make what was once radical into something mainstream and apolitical. Activists routinely criticize corporate sponsorships at pride events for creating a sanitized “corporate pride.” In the landmark book, The Revolution Will Not Be Funded, the authors caution that social movements for liberation can be co-opted by nonprofits, foundations, and corporations in support of the status quo.

The shift in public perception can lull people into complacency. Those at the margins of the LGBTQ community — people of color, trans folks, the poor — are too often left out of the conversation. While advertising featuring the gay community continues to grow, devastating policy can seem to undo the incremental changes made.

That said, representation does matter. Seeing our relationships and families represented in commercials, rainbow flags splashed in storefronts everywhere, gender fluidity in fashion ads, and countless other examples, does play a part in shifting the public narrative. And it can sometimes lead to positive political change.

The Early Adopter: Absolut

Absolut, the Swedish vodka sold by Pernod Ricard, is not afraid to take risks in their advertising strategy. Absolut began promoting the brand in gay publications back in 1981! The vodka, sold at Studio 54 in the 80s, led to an encounter with Andy Warhol. That initiated their legendary print advertising collaborations with artists. Here’s a sample of 10 of those ads speaking to the LGBTQ community, created by the ad agency TBWA Worldwide.

The Quiet Supporter: Subaru

Lesbians love to joke about our affinity for Subarus. But before the targeted ads of the 1990s, the company’s marketers identified lesbians (as well as hikers, teachers, and others) as fans of their all-wheel-drive vehicles. Those marketers took a risk at a time when other companies were pulling their ads from the Ellen sitcom (after she came out). Subaru promoted the brand to gays and lesbians in ads created by Mulryan/Nash. Sometimes the messages were “coded” to the community. That gamble paid off. The unassuming car manufacturer won lifelong dedication from the tribe.

The Turnaround: Target

Long before boycotts for “promoting gay lifestyles,” a former Target CEO made a sizeable donation to an anti-gay politician. But we’re a forgiving bunch. Target made strides as allies by standing up for marriage equality (see this ad featuring gay dads). They publicly came out to welcome trans employees and shoppers. These days, we love their campy aesthetic, their Pride clothing section, their inexpensive housewares, and their open support for the community.

In Our Own Words: It Gets Better Project

The LGBTQ community has long wielded the power of advertising approaches to lobby for change to policy and to shift public consciousness. The “Kissing Doesn’t Kill” campaign for ACT UP during the height of the AIDS epidemic was unprecedented. It was politically charged, clever, and wildly influential.

The “It Gets Better” Project was launched in 2010 by columnist Dan Savage and his husband Terry Miller. It features videos made in response to high rates of death by suicide of gay teens and youth perceived to be gay. It is strategic storytelling at its finest. Google Creative Lab created a spot highlighting the campaign the following year and leveraged it to show the power of the web for good.

Trans/Genderqueer Visibility: Secret

It’s not the first ad or product geared towards the trans community. But this spot for Secret deodorant features androgynous queer model Karis Wilde. Ending with the tagline, “there’s no wrong way to be a woman,” it’s understated and sweet. Parent company Proctor and Gamble (P&G) has garnered criticism, however. The spot affirms the right to use a bathroom aligned with one’s gender identity. But the company doesn’t defend those rights for their own employees or more broadly.

LGBTQ POC Visibility: Spotify

The 2014 “Can’t Find the Words?” commercial from Spotify is a sweet, subtle take on that feeling of butterflies in your stomach when you’re interested in someone. This time, the characters are two Black men and we watch as those three dots indicate waiting for a response. LGBTQ people have always been well represented in the arts, so it’s only fitting that a music streaming app would take this approach.

It’s hard to deny the role that advertising can play in social change, whether it leads the way for other brands or simply follows the trend. It can show support for our communities, advance our causes, and help shift culture. Companies that take those risks show support for their own diverse workplace, earn social capital, and cultivate brand loyalty. Happy Pride!

About the author.
Jess Powers writes about marketing, food, and wellness. She has experience in nonprofit communications and emergency management. Follow her @foodandfury.

 

After a year filled with strife, protest, and conflict, people across the nation are asking if change will ever come. The fact that we can spend June celebrating the LGBTQ+ community — despite the first Pride being a riot, not a parade or celebration — is a beacon of hope that change is possible with persistence and protest.

These 12 films allow us to celebrate LGBTQ+ social movement contributions from the comfort of home.

Before Stonewall (1984)

These days, it’s hard to conceive of a time when a person could be arrested for not wearing articles of clothing deemed specific to their gender assigned at birth. This documentary features appearances from cultural heavyweights Audre Lorde and Allen Ginsberg, and is narrated by Rita Mae Brown. The incredible archival footage led to Emmy Awards for Best Historical or Cultural Program and Best Research. (For a short, ahistorical account of the hours leading up to the Stonewall riots made by queer and trans artists, check out Happy Birthday, Marsha!)

Born In Flames (1983)

This radical lesbian feminist film tells the story of an imagined queer future, shot documentary style. Even though it’s fictional, it depicts direct action, organizing, and explores issues of race, policing, and socialist democracy. A “film of resistance,” this sci-fi wonderland influenced generations of queer filmmakers and thinkers and is somehow both historical and ahead of its time.

BPM (Beats Per Minute) (2017)

This French drama about the Paris chapter of ACT UP (the grassroots direct-action group AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power) in the 1990s is drawn from the director and screenwriter’s real-life experiences. Expect protests against a slow responding government, direct action against Big Pharma, and heart-wrenching character stories.

Brother Outsider (2003)

This film tells the story of Bayard Rustin, a “troublemaker,” pacifist, and one of the key strategists of the civil rights movement. Although he was openly gay, he largely remained in the background so his sexuality wouldn’t derail the struggle (much as the mostly white, mainstream gay organizations during the fight for gay marriage later distanced themselves from the struggles of trans people, immigrants, and people of color).

The Celluloid Closet (1995)

Based on Vito Russo’s book of the same name, this documentary wrestles with the topics of representation, sexuality, and subtext in the cinema. As a film historian, Russo was troubled by negative stereotypes and how culture impacts political rights. He co-founded the media watchdog group, Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), and was active in ACT UP.

Paris is Burning (1990)

Despite controversies about voyeurism and being produced by a white director, this film remains a stunning cultural document of the queer, trans, black, and Latinx ball circuit in Harlem. Movement and dance is a powerful way to support one another and build community and financial support — and has historical roots in survival and resistance to the dehumanization of slavery.

Pride (2014)

Based on a true story, this heartwarming comedy depicts lesbian and gay activists who built unlikely alliances during the 1984 UK coal miner’s strikes. Having their own experiences of police harassment, the activists decide to raise money and go to a Welsh town, eventually winning over hearts and building solidarity.

Queercore: How to Punk a Revolution (2018)

Growing out of the political punk subculture, queercore (or homocore) celebrates all of the messy, loud, rebellion of punk rock and queerness. It’s a rejection of normative gay culture. The filmmaker interviews band members, zine makers, filmmakers, and other scenesters.

Quiet Heroes (2018)

Another tearjerker, this documentary presents an intimate portrait of two women — Dr. Kristen Ries and physician assistant Maggie Snyder — who treated AIDS patients in the 1980s and 90s in conservative Salt Lake City, Utah. They served with love and compassion at a time when their patients were ostracized, defying the church and the law, in order to do the right thing.

The Times of Harvey Milk (1975)

Now part of the Criterion Collection and preserved by the Library of Congress’ National Film Registry, this documentary pioneered featuring gay life in America. As the first openly gay man elected to public office (as a Supervisor in San Francisco), Milk was an inspiring civic leader who was later assassinated. (Gus Van Sant’s biopic, Milk, is also worth watching.)

Trembling Before G-d (2001)

Orthodox Jews — many of whom are obscured from view — are interviewed about their experiences growing up both religious and gay. It’s a tender depiction of people who are living their lives in the closet or are denounced by their close-knit community and how they cope and support each other.

United in Anger (2012)

This powerful documentary chronicles the ACT UP through oral histories of its members. Fighting during the epidemic against government indifference, corporate greed, and entrenched homophobia, we see how civil disobedience and organizing power led to policy and attitudinal changes.

About the author.
Jess Powers writes about marketing, food, and wellness. She has experience in nonprofit communications and emergency management. Follow her @foodandfury.

 

George Floyd. Breonna Taylor. Ahmaud Arbery. Christian Cooper.

Conversations and imagery surrounding police brutality and Black suffering may be prevalent now, but the attention to the matter is long overdue. While this is a step toward a more equitable future in this nation, this emotional conversation can be exhausting, traumatic, triggering, and distressing.

Creative Circle’s Employee Assistance Program, provided by UnitedHealthcare and Optum, is open to all of our candidates and includes a free 24/7 emotional support line (866-342-6892), staffed by professionally-trained mental health experts.

We’ve also gathered mental health and self-care resources to support our Black candidates and the Black creative community during this time, and moving forward.

Apps, Podcasts, Websites

Publications, Articles, Toolkits

Therapist Directories

Ways to Connect With Other Black People

Here are a few of the many groups out there that facilitate connections and conversations with other Black people:

Below are some resources to support the local, national, and global community now and moving forward. Click here for mental health resources for Black candidates.

 

Make a Donation

If you’re able, below are some organizations you can contribute to in order to help fund racial justice.

Sign a Petition

This is of the easiest ways to use the power of your voice in this country.

Read & Share Articles

Below is a handful of articles that can help you — and your personal and professional networks — learn more and begin making an impact.

Educate Yourself

Learn more about Black history and the Black experience in the US by reading the following books. (And simultaneously support local small businesses by purchasing these books from Black-owned bookstores.)

Watch & Listen

Educational videos, documentaries, and podcasts that document the Black experience.

Use These Tools

Resources to help you take action now.

Follow These Accounts

For continued awareness and education, stay up-to-date by following these Instagram and Twitter accounts.
Instagram
Twitter

COVID-19 has upended the world, but the fashion industry has been hit particularly hard. Over the past month, the novel coronavirus epidemic has caused numerous brands to shut their retail stores indefinitely — including Nike, Net-a-porter, Everlane, Reformation, and many more. In short, the global pandemic has altered the very fabric of our lives.

As the crisis deepens, with 1.5 million confirmed cases in the United States alone, many fashion and beauty companies — the majority of which have ceased production altogether — have stepped up to help combat COVID-19. As the world comes to terms with life under pathogenic threat, a slew of top fashion and beauty brands are pivoting from manufacturing clothes and cosmetics to producing personal protective equipment (PPE) like masks, gowns, sanitizer, and other supplies to aid the fight against the spread of the virus.

Here’s how American powerhouse brands are taking on the battle against this global pandemic.

  1. Nike

    In an incredible response to the global pandemic, Nike has pledged a total of more than $17 million to help fight the novel coronavirus — with major donations going to the Oregon Food Bank, the Oregon Community Recovery Fund, and the Oregon Health and Service University. The Nike Foundation is donating $1 million to the World Health Organization’s COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund, and to local organizations to help them meet immediate needs — like food assistance and medical care — in key cities and communities around the world where their employees live and work.

  2. Ralph Lauren

    Ralph Lauren’s eponymous lifestyle brand has pledged $10 million to COVID-19 relief efforts — the largest donation by a fashion brand thus far. The money will go to the World Health Organization’s COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund, the Emergency Assistance Foundation, its Pink Pony Fund that supports international cancer institutions, and an undisclosed amount to A Common Thread, the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA)/Vogue Fashion Fund for COVID-19 Relief in support of American fashion designers and industry members hit hard by the economic fall-out from the pandemic.

    “It is in the spirit of togetherness that we will rise,” shared Ralph Lauren in a statement. “That is why we are taking significant action to help our teams and communities through this crisis.”

  3. Michael Kors

    Michael Kors has pledged $1 million, with the designer himself adding in another $1 million personally for New York-based organizations that are providing coronavirus relief efforts. $750,000 will go to New York-Presbyterian Hospital; $750,000 to NYU Langone Health; $250,000 to God’s Love We Deliver — an organization that delivers nutritious, medically tailored meals for people too sick to shop or cook for themselves; and $250,000 to A Common Thread — the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA)/Vogue Fashion Fund for COVID-19 Relief.

  4. Crocs

    Crocs is giving back to healthcare workers on the frontlines of the COVID-19 through their “A Free Pair for Healthcare” to thank doctors, nurses, health attendants, and other healthcare heroes by providing them a free pair of Crocs Classic Clogs or Crocs At Work styles (while supplies last), along with free shipping.

  5. Christian Siriano

    The New York City-based fashion designer and Project Runway star was one of the first to answer New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s call for help creating personal protective equipment (PPE) via Twitter:

    “If @NYGovCuomo says we need masks my team will help make some,” wrote Siriano. “I have a full sewing team still on staff working from home that can help.”

    Cuomo soon confirmed his office was in touch with Siriano, tweeting:

    “Appreciate his help so much. Who’s next? Let’s do this together, NY!”

  6. New Balance

    New Balance has pledged $2 million to support local, regional, and global communities impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The funds will go to the following organizations: $200,000 to Global Giving — the largest crowdfunding community that connects nonprofits, companies, and donors across the world; $100,000 to No Kid Hungry who work to feed kids in the hardest-hit communities; and $50,000 each to The Boston Resiliency Fund, Good Shepherd Food Bank in Maine, the St. Louis Area Foodbank, and Groundwork Lawrence. Select organizations from the New Balance Foundation’s network, who support children and families, with a focus on health, nutrition, education, and physical movement, will receive a combined total of $1.5 million.

    Anne Davis, managing trustee of the New Balance Foundation, said: “As we witness the growing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are inspired by the acts of humanity, kindness, and compassion that have emerged in support of one another during this health crisis.”

  7. Estée Lauder

    In addition to reopening a factory in Melville, New York to start producing hydroalcoholic gel (aka sanitizer) for high-need groups and populations, like frontline healthcare workers — Estée Lauder has pledged a $2 million grant to Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières to support their work in affected countries that lack the resources to battle the novel coronavirus successfully.

  8. Kate Spade New York

    Kate Spade announced via Instagram that the brands at Tapestry — the New York-based house of modern luxury lifestyle brands like Coach, Kate Spade, and Stuart Weitzman — would be donating $2 million to New York City’s Small Business Continuity Fund. The post shared that the money was “for all the small businesses in NYC that make our hometown so incredibly special, and right now need some extra love and support. we appreciate each one of you, we’re here for you and we can’t wait to see you again soon.”
    https://www.instagram.com/p/B-P40Hml4aW/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

  9. Saks Fifth Avenue

    The American luxury retailer has pledged $600,000 to organizations that support COVID-19 relief efforts through its Saks Fifth Avenue Foundation. $250,000 will go to the New York-Presbyterian Hospital COVID-19 Patient Care Fund; $200,000 to Bring Change to Mind — a mental health organization creating virtual programs for high school students aimed at reducing feelings of isolation; and $150,000 to Girls, Inc. — who provide social and emotional support for girls affected by the pandemic.

  10. Brooks Brothers

    This American heritage fashion brand (founded in 1818) announced that its manufacturing facilities in New York, Massachusetts, and North Carolina will halt production of shirts, ties, and suits to begin producing medical masks and gowns — with a goal to manufacture 150,000 masks per day. “We are deeply grateful to the medical personnel at the frontlines who are fighting the pandemic, and we are honored to do our part and join our peers in retail to provide protective masks that our health care system critically needs,” said Claudio Del Vecchio, CEO of the company, in a statement.

  11. Under Armour

    Under Armour, the athleticwear powerhouse, is donating $2 million to support those affected by the pandemic. Feeding America will receive $1 million towards its hunger relief efforts related to school closures, and $1 million will go to Good Sports, a nonprofit that provides equipment, footwear, and apparel to at-risk youth to encourage physical activity.

  12. MAC Cosmetics

    Via its VIVA GLAM charitable campaign — launched more than 25 years ago as a community response to a pandemic (AIDS), and which has raised over $500 million since its inception in 1994 — MAC Cosmetics will donate $10 million to 250 organizations around the world that are working to combat COVID-19. Yes, MAC is putting its money where its rouged mouth is! And on top of the brand’s generous donation, they will be donating 100% of Viva Glam lipstick sales to raise funds for at-risk communities worldwide impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.

    “VIVA GLAM has never been about one cause, but about support to vulnerable communities. It was created many years ago simply as a hardship fund for people who needed safety nets,” shared John Demsey, Chairman of the Mac Viva Glam Fund and executive group president of The Estee Lauder Companies Inc.

About the author.
An award-winning creator and digital health, wellness, and lifestyle content strategist — Karina writes, edits, and produces compelling content across multiple platforms — including articles, video, interactive tools, and documentary film. Her work has been featured on MSN Lifestyle, Apartment Therapy, Goop, Psycom, Pregnancy & Newborn, Eat This Not That, thirdAGE, and Remedy Health Media digital properties.

If you have been laid-off, you are looking at a more final exit from your company. While your company may hire again in the future, a role with them is not assured in any way.

Furloughed employees are in suspended animation; they are usually still able to get benefits, like health insurance, though they are unpaid or on reduced pay. When a worker is furloughed, the expectation is that they will return to their position after the furlough ends. If you find yourself in this situation, take heart that it is likely a temporary cost-cutting measure intended to preserve your job and help keep your company afloat in these turbulent times. While this can be reassuring, we know that the struggle to make do without being paid or being paid less is real. Be sure to check with your human resources department for specific information on what coverage you will maintain.

The good news is that furloughed workers can now claim unemployment insurance, along with expanded Federal benefits due to COVID-19. If you are furloughed and still working — but have had your hours reduced by 20% or more — it is a sufficient reduction in hours in most states to claim unemployment benefits.

If you have been laid-off, you are looking at a more final exit from your company. While your company may hire again in the future, a role with them is not assured in any way. Someone who has been laid-off may no longer be eligible for company-sponsored health insurance or other employee benefits — but there are options for continuing health insurance coverage. Check with your human resources department to see what exit packages they are offering; some companies like AirBnB are paying for 12 months of COBRA health insurance for US employees who are laid off.

The numbers tell a grim story: with 3.2 million claims for unemployment benefits for the week ending May 2, 2020 — unemployment reached an all-time epic apex of 33.5 million claims over the last seven weeks — the highest level of unemployment since the Department of Labor began tracking data. If you have been furloughed or laid-off, you are clearly not alone. And while the news may be challenging, we want you to know that you still have options. Here are some things to consider as you navigate this next phase of your professional life.

Wait a Day. Then Negotiate Clear Terms With Your Employer.

An initial lay-off or furlough conversation can come as a shock to the system. Take a day or two to digest the news and gather your thoughts. Before signing anything, ask your company to clarify why you are being let go and to detail the separation benefits you will receive. Ask how much longer you will be paid, if there is severance or separation pay, and get clarity on what benefits you will (or won’t) continue to receive. Additionally, ask about what happens to paid vacation and sick days (in some states these must be paid out), 401k or other retirement funds, stock options with the company, and ask whether or not you can keep the equipment (laptop, cell phone, accessories) that may have been provided to you.

If you are furloughed, your health and life insurance benefits will likely continue. If you are laid off, see if your company has made any special arrangements to provide additional assistance during this time. If you are a member of a union, additional benefits may be available on top of those offered by your employer. Check with your union representative to get details on available programs for impacted workers.

Research Is Your Friend. Please Do It.

Many programs have been expanded, and new ones added to help manage the economic fall-out from the pandemic. The proverbial devil is in the details — be sure to research them, so you don’t miss out on some form of assistance for which you are eligible.

Unemployment benefits are now available to anyone who has lost their job (through no fault of their own) and can help you make ends meet until you find a new opportunity. Furloughed and freelance workers who did not qualify for unemployment benefits before COVID-19 are now eligible because the new stimulus law expanded the definition of eligibility. Be sure to look up the specifics as details vary state by state. Learn more about how to file in your state here.

Most states offer 26 weeks of unemployment benefits, and there is an additional $600 per week that is part of the federal stimulus plan. If you exhaust your benefits, the stimulus plan has provided for an additional 13 weeks of unemployment pay.

Helpful tip: You can file for unemployment benefits online. Many state unemployment websites have been swamped and overwhelmed with applications—we recommend applying either early or late in the day when the systems are less overloaded.

Embrace Your Network.

It’s a virtual world — make the most of it. With the majority of the country still quarantined at home, you have an unprecedented opportunity to reconnect with old contacts and to form new ones. Schedule video chats or phone calls to connect in a more personal manner. Reach out to people you know for opportunities; this may be more important now than ever before. Check in on old colleagues and friends, and ask them to connect you with their contacts. Follow up with these new people — if you cultivate and expand your network, it will nourish you.

Make a habit of being fast and responsive with your digital communications. It will help facilitate connections that may lead to new opportunities. If you’re in an industry that has been hit particularly hard by COVID-19, think about how you can pivot your skills to positions outside your field. Talk to people that have made similar pivots. Ask advice. Develop new relationships. Even if there are no immediate opportunities, you are planting seeds for when a role does open up. Jobs are still available, but there will be more competition. Taking the initiative to reach out may make all the difference — as the Latin proverb proclaims: fortune favors the bold.

About the author.
An award-winning creator and digital health, wellness, and lifestyle content strategist — Karina writes, edits, and produces engaging content across multiple platforms — including articles, video, interactive tools, and documentary film. Her work has been featured on MSN Lifestyle, Apartment Therapy, Goop, Psycom, Pregnancy & Newborn, Eat This Not That, thirdAGE, and Remedy Health Media digital properties. You can see more of her work at karinamargit.com.