Edison Reyes, Associate, Communications and Outreach

Prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, unemployment in the United States was at historical lows, and the economy was enjoying a record expansion. But, the headline numbers and positive data trends notwithstanding, a disproportionate number of American families were struggling with low-paying jobs and rising levels of household debt. Now, the pandemic has damaged all sectors of the economy and has led to the highest rates of unemployment since the Great Depression. Low- and moderate-income communities and communities of color in particular have borne the brunt of the economic recession, which has only magnified health and racial inequities and the urgency of building a more equitable economy for all. Arts and culture are central to an equitable recovery, as they highlight local needs not reflected in the data, encourage participation by groups often left out of plans and discussions, and allow many community members to benefit from economic transformation and growth. Here, we highlight resources for identifying arts and culture strategies that may support this vision for the economy during the recovery from COVID-19.

Michelle Park Lazette, Senior Writer, Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland

The night before certain Kansas City restaurants stopped smelling like barbecue, Justin Ikerionwu paused the TV to look out of his apartment window at downtown. He felt himself going down a rabbit hole of fear, consumed with what was known and unknown about COVID-19 and the way his Missouri community was shutting down. The streets below were empty.

Michelle Park Lazette, Senior Writer, Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland

Rocky Ridge Gas + Market doesn’t have an address — not a number, not a street name. Instead, those headed for it are told it’s one mile south of Rocky Ridge Boarding School in Navajo Nation down a dirt road, the one that curves around the market’s lone gas pump before continuing across brown and barren land.

Michelle Park Lazette, Senior Writer, Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland

This story explores the experience of a small, minority-owned business in Los Angeles that received a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan through a community-based lender to keep paying its employees during the COVID-19 shutdown. It is the second in a series published by the New York Fed on behalf of Fed Communities, a project that connects the Fed’s data, tools, and expertise with community-serving audiences that can use them.

Michelle Park Lazette, Senior Writer, Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland

This story explores the experience of a small, minority-owned business in San Francisco that received a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan through a community-based lender to keep paying its employees during the COVID-19 shutdown. It is the first in a series published by the New York Fed on behalf of Fed Communities, a project that connects the Fed’s data, tools, and expertise with community-serving audiences that can use them.

Anne O’Shaughnessy, Communications Director, Fed Communities Project

Whether they’re serving margaritas to go, providing accounting services on an IOU, or trying to maintain stock at a small market deep in the desert, small businesses are finding creative ways to stay open amid the COVID-19 pandemic.