Race and Coronavirus: COVID-19’s effects on African Americans

By Pati Navalta and Levi Sumagaysay

Before COVID-19 hit, odds were already stacked against the people living in St. John the Baptist Parish in Louisiana. Its population of 43,000 is 58 percent African American, many of whom are low income, and all of whom live along a toxic stretch of communities along the Mississippi River known as “Cancer Alley.” The area is heavily dotted with fossil fuel and petrochemical facilities, with ExxonMobil, Koch Industries and Shell operating 150 of these sites alone. It is also home to several nuclear sites, including Waterford 3 Steam Electric Station, Monsanto’s Luling plant, and Dow Chemical Co’s St. Charles Operations facility.