Wisconsin Unemployment, Circa 2009

This article was done on our family in 2009 when we were going through a serious financial pitfall. I love the picture. 

Radolph Matthews, 39, of Milwaukee, Wis., talks with his youngest son, Naim, 3, Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2009, about what he would like for Christmas. 

Matthews, who has a master's degree in business administration, lost his job Oct. 1.Matthews and his wife, Daniela, along with their four children, are living on Daniela's income and Matthews' unemployment checks. Matthews initially received some severance money and the family had a small savings, but this month, Daniela says, the family is beginning to feel the pinch. "Now with the holidays, and then ... our car insurance," Daniela said. "Now the taxes are coming out, getting the car winterized." Everything is starting to add up, she says.  

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Daniela Matthews (right), of Milwaukee, Wis., listens to her children, N'Kya (left), 8, and Nile (second from left), 10, argue while Naim (center), 3, chimes in. Matthews' husband, Radolph, lost his job Oct. 1. In Milwaukee, Wis., the unemployment rate among African Americans is 22 percent, higher than any other state.  

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"I expect them to be honor roll students," Radolph Matthews (left), 39, of Milwaukee, Wis., says of his four children, ages 12, 10, 8 and 3. All of the Matthews children get outstanding grades. Nile (right), 10, goes over some homework with his father. Matthews, who has a master's degree in business administration, lost his job Oct. 1.The family is living on unemployment checks and Daniela Matthews' income as a legislative assistant for the Milwaukee County Board. 

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Daniela Matthews, 33, of Milwaukee, Wis., walks into a local grocery store with her daughter, N'Kya, 8, Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2009. Matthews needed to pick up some groceries to make the family tacos for dinner. Matthews' husband, Radolph, lost his job Oct. 1. Since then, the family has been living on unemployment checks and Daniela Matthews' income as a legislative assistant for the Milwaukee County Board. 

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She decided to just bring soda to her work Christmas party this year, says Daniela Matthews (center), of Milwaukee, Wis., while shopping at a local grocery store with her daughter, N'Kya, 8. Since Daniela Matthews' husband, Radolph, lost his jobOct. 1, the family has been intensely busy. When Daniela Matthews is not working her full-time job as a legislative assistant, she continues to take care of her family, allowing her husband time to search for a new job.  

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As Ja'veon Brooks, 4 months, sleeps in the shopping cart, Daniela Matthews (right), of Milwaukee, Wis., hands some baby food to her sister, Sheyenne Porter (Ja'veon's mother), who is living with Matthews and her husband, Radolph, along with the four Matthews children. Although Brooks has a degree in medical assisting, she has been unable to find a job. Radolph Matthews lost his job Oct. 1, so the entire family is living on Daniela Matthews' income as a legislative assistant, along with Radolph Matthews' unemployment checks.  

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As Daniela Matthews, 33, of Milwaukee, Wis., prepares dinner Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2009, her husband, Radolph Matthews, tells her that one of his friends received his blue belt in jujitsu. Radolph Matthews and his children are all heavily involved in the sport. Since he lost his jobOct. 1, the jujitsu club the family members go to gave them a financial break and helped pay for their lessons.