“Before the pandemic, I didn’t realize how employers didn’t value employees’ rights.”

Maya Butler, 28, is a college-educated entrepreneur born in Milwaukee. She received her bachelor’s degree in criminology and law studies from Marquette University in 2015, and attended graduate school at Howard University in 2017. She realized long before the pandemic that the system in the United States was not built fairly, to benefit the people who keep the economy flowing. True to her law and social work background, she is figuring out how she can use her talents to benefit the community around her.

Adrienne Davis: What was it like working before the pandemic compared to how it is now?

Maya Butler: Before the pandemic, I think I didn’t realize how employers didn’t value employees’ rights. I guess, with a pandemic, you kind of see now everything is different. I think the value of the employee has decreased. I think that employees now, versus before the pandemic, are easily replaceable. I kind of see employees being–how would I describe it–something that you can replace and are easily replaceable. As far as working before the pandemic, it seemed really inclusive. Really for me, more family orientated, because I worked with children, so it was more enjoyable to be a worker before the pandemic than now. It’s not as enjoyable.

Davis: What do you think so many people are choosing not to work during the pandemic?

Butler: For me, I believe the pandemic has shown that the job market isn’t what it used to be. I think that with the pandemic, we can now see that it’s forcing people to utilize their skill sets, and to be creatives instead of being dependent on a system of, “work for me, and I make all the terms and agreements and you have to abide by what I say.” I think now more people are honing into their talents and creating jobs instead. Like, I’m good at speaking, let me go create my own podcast and monetize off of that, or I’m good at writing, let me go write an ebook and monetize off of that, instead of let’s go work for this person, and have to go through these interviews and have to basically put your private information out there if you want to get, you know, certain things in order to work.

Davis: Since the pandemic started have your goals changed since you graduated from college?

Butler: Yes, my goals have definitely changed. I think now, I’m not so dependent on finding a job, I’m more dependent on what I am good at–and how can I be a value to others with that skill, and also monetize that skill. So my goals have changed. I mean, my goal coming out of college, well, coming out of Marquette, my goal was to go to law school, because my degree is in criminology and law studies, and then as I went on to Howard, I got into social work. Obviously my love for helping people from criminology to social work, it’s just always been about being a value to people. So that goal of being a social worker and being out in the community with people that totally changed when the pandemic hit. You know, because I couldn’t physically see the children that I was working with because of this virus that was deadly and I don’t want to jeopardize their lives and their families’ lives, and I don’t want to jeopardize my life and my family’s lives. So that was a very difficult one to figure out. With my law degree I’m studying consumer law, but with my social work I’m not doing anything in that field.

Davis: Do you feel if you hadn’t gone to college that things would be different for you?

Butler: That’s a good question. I believe that if I didn’t go to college, it would have forced me to hone in on my skills that I naturally have, you know, naturally being a leader, naturally being able to bring people together with commonalities things of that such. So I think I definitely would be a different person if I didn’t go to college, but I believe that eventually, with the mindset that I have, I would have ended up in the entrepreneurial space that I’m in now as far as the pandemic happening; and it’s shifting everything, getting fired and having to readjust.

Davis: What do you sympathize more with: the employees who have never been able to get a livable wage, or the entrepreneurs business owners who have created their own businesses, but have labor shortages due to getting aid from the government?

Butler: Well, I wouldn’t say that I lean more towards one or the other, because both of them are people in general who are going through horrific times with this pandemic. It’s been detrimental to everyone, not just entrepreneurs or not just employees, I think us as people, we have to understand that this struggle is a common struggle, and kind of, try to figure out what would be the best solution for both parties, you know what I’m saying? So like the employee, what would be things that they could do in replace of, you know, like you said. I mean, the livable wage has been an uphill battle for years. You know, we’ve been seeing that for quite some time, which I don’t agree with. I do believe that the wages that people are earning are not acceptable. I mean, you can’t live off of those things. So it’s a struggle for everybody; and I think that the aid that the government gives–I used to be against the government, but the government is our friend. I believe that the aid that the government is giving should be more and it should be for everybody. I mean as beings, we should be able to live a comfortable life. We shouldn’t be struggling, we shouldn’t have to want for anything because you know, this world is ours. So I wouldn’t side with anyone, I would side with the people. I think the people can be, you know, entrepreneurs, they can be employees, they can be whatever they want to be, but the pandemic has affected all of us, tremendously.