We joined along with Chicagoland entertainment workers and congress members at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois at 9 p.m. on September 1, 2020 to raise awareness of COVID-19’s devastation on our industry. This event was part of a nationwide effort to encourage Congress to pass the RESTART Act, which offers relief to an industry that’s been shuttered since March and to have Congress extend the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance for middle class families put out of work by COVID-19.
By lighting the Allstate Arena and other entertainment venues in red, workers alerted patrons of the arts on the critical state of our industry. Since limits on public gathering were issued in March, millions are 100% unemployed. The entertainment industry employs more than 10 million people across the U.S. with many in Illinois.
Chicago’s unemployment rate is roughly 12.6% but the unemployment rate for entertainment workers is almost 100%. Workers are struggling to keep their homes and feed their families. The entertainment industry was the first closed and will be the last to reopen.
See news coverage of this initiative at the following media outlets:
#WeMakeEvents, #RedAlertRestart, #ExtendPUA
