Imagining MLK at the unemployment office

Courtesy: Allen Temple A.M.E. Church

I wonder what the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. would be doing if he were alive today, and to whom would he be talking. Since his last day on Earth was spent trying to help workers, maybe he would be trying to query the unemployed about their condition. Maybe he would be in the unemployment line himself.

Long lines, muddy construction, and non-existent job offers await claimants at a metro Atlanta unemployment office/career center.  Some people walk in, turn around, and leave, jeopardizing their ability to receive benefits for the week.

The atmosphere is described as “unbelievable” by some and "zoo-like" by others. It appears the system is discouraging folks from completing the process.

 

What would MLK find at the local unemployment office?

Waiting line inside Career Center

Before entering the office, Kenneth, a New Jersey warehouse employee laid off for one week, was optimistic about the system. “I hope the process isn’t too slow. I’m pretty sure things should work out. Believe God, and it will come,” he said. Three minutes later, he was walking to his car.

“The line is extremely long,” he reported. “Honestly, it seems that they need to be hiring people to work in the unemployment office to speed up the process. I didn’t expect it to be like that. Wow, that was unexpected,” said Kenneth who left to go use the public library computer to search for a job.

Tia was waiting in the parking lot. “I’m just starting today and don’t have a lot of experience with the process.” She was also let go from her job last week. “I’m hoping there will be some resources here, but I don’t know.”

Leslie said he faces age discrimination.

Leslie said he has been unemployed for a year and a half. Speaking about the help he received, he said, “They do the best work I have ever seen, to try to get people their money.” He believes his age has hampered him from finding work. “You try to find a job, and it’s very difficult after you reach a certain age.” Leslie said he’s trying very hard to earn a livelihood again, is tired of sitting at home, looking at the sunlight, and reading library books. Lately, he has read The Bridge, Team of Rivals and No Ordinary Time which he borrowed from the library. “It’s up to the government to bring in more business,” he said of his chances of finding work.

 



Blank spaces on jobs board

A laid off flight attendant said it has been impossible for him to find work after more than a year, and he was filing for an extension of benefits. Without health insurance, he was afraid he would catch the flu while waiting. “My sister has a Master’s degree and couldn’t find a job, so she started a business. The only problem she faces is tax liability,” he said.

Lawrence, a Computer Science student, was laid off from his machine operator job in a manufacturing plant four months ago. “The staff here are doing their best and have been wonderful to everybody coming here. They understand people’s conditions,” he said. He claimed that his ability to get a job would depend on improvement in the economy.

Another customer was told at 12:30 p.m. to come back at 2:30 p.m. and was seen at 4:00 p.m. “This is a very inefficient system. Instead of looking for a job, I am using my gas to come back and wait.”

What would MLK do?

King’s dream did not end with hopes of neighbors accepting people based on character. King's last dream was dreamed months before his assassination when he announced plans for a Poor People's Campaign demanding passage of a $12 billion Economic Bill of Rights. He upped his demands to a $30 billion campaign to include the annual construction of 500,000 affordable residences. This dream would have guaranteed employment to all able-bodied citizens, incomes to those unable to work, and an end to housing discrimination.

 

Computers are available for job searching.

His last dream was about jobs, not about children singing Kumbaya.

If here, he would probably be protesting the Afghanistan and Iraqi Wars. He would be doing the same things that were starting to make him unpopular near his end.

If MLK were an unemployed Ph.D living in metro Atlanta, he would probably tell others to get on a bus to Washington, D.C. to get Obama’s attention. He would encourage folks to lobby for a Jobs Bill. He would be blogging on how to effectively manage a fund-raising project.



Client checks phone while waiting

He would be an advocate for the unemployed and list merits of entrepreneurship. He would be tweeting his opinion on gun control. His LinkedIn page would recommend a local networking group. He would be ministering to the poor through a non-profit organization. After watching Christopher Nolan’s movie Inception, 21st century dream architect Martin Luther King, Jr. would be planting seeds to end joblessness in the hearts and minds of world leaders.

One thing he would not be doing is sitting still.

These pictures and interviews done Jan. 14, 2011.
©2011 Tomi Johnson. All rights reserved.