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This was hard to write:
912.
That's the number of Detroiters we've lost to COVID-19.
So amid the pandemic, Detroit — the nation’s largest black city, the birthplace of distinctive soulful music and black cultural significance — grieves collectively. https://apnews.com/21240cd393748b5061a38f07b20f7ea9
912.
That's the number of Detroiters we've lost to COVID-19.
So amid the pandemic, Detroit — the nation’s largest black city, the birthplace of distinctive soulful music and black cultural significance — grieves collectively. https://apnews.com/21240cd393748b5061a38f07b20f7ea9
Across the nation, African Americans have been disproportionately impacted. Detroit is a city that's more than 79% black. Everyone is linked. The familial ties are strong. Our connectivity has long been a strength. Today, it's only exacerbated a profound sense of loss.
Jamon Jordan could not mourn his mother in the traditional way. At Jacquelynne Jordan’s memorial in early April, there were just seven people.
No hugs.
No traditional dinner to honor the memory of the family's matriarch.
No hugs.
No traditional dinner to honor the memory of the family's matriarch.
“In the African American community, homegoing celebrations, funerals, are just a part of a very spiritual experience that allows family and the community to move this ancestor onto the afterlife,” Jordan told me. “It’s a blow to this culture, our practices, our traditions."
Beyond the grief lies deep economic pain.
Swaths of Detroit neighborhoods remain blighted & 33% of Detroit residents live below the poverty line. The pandemic has created a projected $348 million budget deficit, city officials have said.
Swaths of Detroit neighborhoods remain blighted & 33% of Detroit residents live below the poverty line. The pandemic has created a projected $348 million budget deficit, city officials have said.
A poll shared exclusively with me, conducted in early April by @UMich's Detroit Metro Area Communities Study, found 35% of Detroiters employed full time or part time before March 1 have lost their jobs as a result of the pandemic. Other startling numbers:
I wish I could have included more from the polling in my story but I’ll share here. One-third of black Detroiters reported being deeply worried about housing instability as a result of the pandemic. Here’s more info:
What does this mean? Research associate Lydia Wileden said she’s extremely concerned for the economic future of many Detroiters who were still trying to move past the Great Recession. “Our data suggests that this could have really dramatic effects,” Wileden said.
