The Bayview and the Richmond neighborhoods in the Bay Area are two of the oldest historically black neighborhoods. They have also been hit the hardest by COVID-19. In May, a national study showed that, despite making up 13.4% of the U.S. population, African Americans accounted for nearly 60% of coronavirus deaths. These neighborhoods have long suffered the consequences of the Bay Area’s income inequality — the highest in the state, with the wealthiest 5% of households earning 16 times more than the poorest 20%. In the pandemic, poorer, blue-collar workers had a greater chance of falling ill, and embattled neighborhoods like the Bayview — which has suffered from pollution, nuclear contamination, substandard housing, divestment and institutional racism — were more likely to suffer. COVID-19 has not only hurt the people who live in these areas but exploited a precious sense of community.
