Faces of the Pandemic

In a year like no other, a global pandemic tested us all. We found ourselves face-to-face with unprecedented job losses, business closures, concern for our own, our family and our loved ones’ health and safety. Intimate, work, and social relationships were strained and most of us are overwhelmed with COVID fatigue.

In 2020, the St. Louis American set out to go beyond fear and the negative reality of Black people comprising disproportionate numbers of coronavirus infections, deaths and layoffs from a virus that has crippled our country. With support from organizations such as the Deaconess Foundation and others, we set out to personalize the pandemic with stories and photos of those affected.

It was a year that started with great loss and ended with great hope based on the development and distribution of coronavirus vaccines. Through it all, our newsroom worked to help our readers understand, talk about and rise to the challenges of the unfolding pandemic. With individual-focused stories, photos and narrative, we did indeed put faces on dire statistics.

Here, we’ve listed just a few of our stories that defined St. Louis in 2020 — a year of extraordinary disruption and challenge. Lastly, we want to thank you for the continuous support that makes our crucial work possible.

All of these stories can be found at www.stlamerican.com. 

Partial chronological list:

COVID-19 is forcing churches to operate differently Sandra Jordan / Mar 20, 2020

http://www.stlamerican.com/news/local_news/covid-19-is-forcing-churches-to-operate-differently/article_13b984ca-6ae7-11ea-a155-8bccd8ebcf65.html

Coping with COVID-19 in North County

By Sandra Jordan / May 1, 2020

http://www.stlamerican.com/news/local_news/coping-with-covid-19-in-north-county/article_4b41c004-8bb9-11ea-a48c-9f58853b543d.html

We know how to prevent homelessness due to COVID-19

By Patrick J. Fowler and Jason Q. Purnell / May 12, 2020

http://www.stlamerican.com/news/columnists/guest_columnists/we-know-how-to-prevent-homelessness-due-to-covid-19/article_388e7fe6-9457-11ea-af5c-bbc16f106816.html

Jump-start your life after COVID-19 now

By Leslie Gill / Jun 12, 2020

http://www.stlamerican.com/news/columnists/guest_columnists/jump-start-your-life-after-covid-19-now/article_f1a248ac-ac79-11ea-8148-bffed3b8fe8e.html

Regional Health Commission awarded $1M for COVID-19 outreach

June 19, 2020

http://www.stlamerican.com/news/local_news/regional-health-commission-awarded-1m-for-covid-19-outreach/article_f9ec0914-b27b-11ea-8701-7bd174478c4b.html

Detainee at  St. Louis Workhouse tests positive for COVID-19

By Chris King / Jun 23, 2020

http://www.stlamerican.com/news/local_news/detainee-at-st-louis-workhouse-tests-positive-for-covid-19/article_cb0093b6-b557-11ea-bda5-4795742c9361.html

COVID-19 at the St. Louis Workhouse

By Ramona Curtis / Jun 24, 2020

http://www.stlamerican.com/news/local_news/covid-19-at-the-st-louis-workhouse/article_100ceeb2-b640-11ea-9abb-f31b4f587401.html

STL County distributes $28M for COVID relief

Sandra Jordan / Jul 20, 2020

http://www.stlamerican.com/news/local_news/stl-county-distributes-28m-for-covid-relief/article_3c5c088e-cab5-11ea-9c0a-83849032c160.html

Spanky, COVID-19 and the plight of Missouri’s disabled

By Sylvester Brown Jr. / Aug 8, 2020

http://www.stlamerican.com/news/local_news/spanky-covid-19-and-the-plight-of-missouri-s-disabled/article_d467f248-d98b-11ea-a8ec-8f98090bb351.html 

COVID-19 may have a high survival rate but it's still not 'harmless'

By Sylvester Brown Jr. / Aug 18, 2020

http://www.stlamerican.com/your_health_matters/covid_19/covid-19-may-have-a-high-survival-rate-but-its-still-not-harmless/article_505e7828-e188-11ea-9951-6bb25af5b4bb.html

Surviving COVID-19: The struggle for Black performing arts in St. Louis

By Sylvester Brown Jr./Aug 22, 2020

http://www.stlamerican.com/news/local_news/surviving-covid-19-the-struggle-for-black-performing-arts-in-st-louis/article_7c038224-e481-11ea-9584-63ef72551532.html

Losing Lamont Hadley Sr.

COVID-19 takes from STL a beloved singer

By Sylvester Brown Jr. / Aug 27, 2020

http://www.stlamerican.com/your_health_matters/sylvester_brown_jr_deaconess_fellowship/losing-lamont-hadley-sr/article_4eb9825c-e80d-11ea-be93-67dfa9b93163.html

COVID-19 survivor embarks on nursing career

By Pat Matreci / Apr 30, 2020

http://www.stlamerican.com/business/business_news/covid-19-survivor-embarks-on-nursing-career/article_734936e8-8a71-11ea-8ce3-c773966b9740.html

A MUSICIAN’S BATTLE FOR HIS MOM IN THE MIDST OF COVID-19

By Sylvester Brown, Jr. / Sept. 3, 2020

http://www.stlamerican.com/entertainment/living_it/a-musicians-battle-for-his-mom-in-the-midst-of-covid-19/article_6bd40ba4-ee62-11ea-a510-e3c3bd1887f4.html

Kids and COVID - they face a ‘triple whammy’: high crime, racial tension and isolation from the pandemic

By Sylvester Brown Jr. / Sep 23, 2020

http://www.stlamerican.com/news/local_news/kids-and-covid---they-face-a-triple-whammy-high-crime-racial-tension-and/article_91e6a908-fe13-11ea-a139-67da4be3ed07.html

Losing his cool Eddie Smith - COVID survivor and HVAC engineer, on healing ‘sick building’

By Sylvester Brown Jr. / Sep 12, 2020

http://www.stlamerican.com/your_health_matters/covid_19/losing-his-cool-eddie-smith---covid-survivor-and-hvac-engineer-on-healing-sick/article_6026948e-f524-11ea-8017-af5e0f843a83.html

‘I’m moving forward with my life,’ COVID survivor Annie Cooper turned to job retraining with MOKAN to ‘bounce back’

By Sylvester Brown Jr. / Sep 14, 2020

http://www.stlamerican.com/your_health_matters/covid_19/i-m-moving-forward-with-my-life-covid-survivor-annie-cooper-turned-to-job-retraining/article_367ce0be-f6fc-11ea-b8db-8bbdd60d56ec.html

KJ’s and corona: COVID-19 is tough, so bar owner Kenny Martin got tougher

By Sylvester Brown Jr. / Sep 16, 2020

http://www.stlamerican.com/entertainment/living_it/kj-s-and-corona-covid-19-is-tough-so-bar-owner-kenny-martin-got-tougher/article_93d72774-f86e-11ea-9141-43239c47b6b7.html 

Confessions of a last responder: Ronald L. Jones on COVID’s impact on the funeral business

By Sylvester Brown Jr. / Sep 27, 2020

http://www.stlamerican.com/your_health_matters/covid_19/confessions-of-a-last-responder-ronald-l-jones-on-covid-s-impact-on-the-funeral/article_6ec2f428-011e-11eb-a7ce-172469c426d3.html

Ella Owens, COVID-19 and How God Got Her Attention

Sylvester Brown Jr. / Sep 27, 2020

http://www.stlamerican.com/religion/local_religion/ella-owens-covid-19-and-how-god-got-her-attention/article_2a2b0b00-00da-11eb-9ec8-cbfa676ce73e.html 

COVID testing and voter registration for the faithful

By Sylvester Brown Jr./ Oct 7, 2020

http://www.stlamerican.com/election/oct-7---last-day-to-register-to-vote-covid-testing-and-voter-registration/article_e615288e-08c6-11eb-bf62-2789d7f1b166.html

Coping with grief during the pandemic

By Sandra Jordan / Oct 13, 2020

http://www.stlamerican.com/your_health_matters/health_news/coping-with-grief-during-the-pandemic/article_b48404fa-0dcd-11eb-8045-53d837be3614.html

The COVID gap year: Pandemic pushes student out of WashU into local workforce

By Sylvester Brown Jr. / Oct 21, 2020

http://www.stlamerican.com/business/business_news/the-covid-gap-year-pandemic-pushes-student-out-of-washu-into-local-workforce/article_e3df5eb2-12f4-11eb-a63f-87a3da5a0fc4.html 

Distrust keeps Blacks from joining COVID clinical trials

By Sylvester Brown Jr./Oct 30, 2020

http://www.stlamerican.com/news/local_news/distrust-keeps-blacks-from-joining-covid-clinical-trials/article_d16a373a-1ab9-11eb-8b76-af415b748b61.html

Billie’s Pastries offers comfortable gathering place in perilous times

By Sylvester Brown Jr. / Nov 19, 2020

https://www.stlamerican.com/billie-s-pastries-offers-comfortable-gathering-place-in-perilous-times/article_7b4f1942-2ac2-11eb-ad7c-cb4377276f50.html

COVID fatigue

By Sylvester Brown Jr. / Nov 12, 2020

http://www.stlamerican.com/news/local_news/covid-fatigue/article_da5c72d8-252f-11eb-9399-0b13e37f6f6b.html

Kristian Blackmon creates happiness and joy in the midst of a pandemic

By Sylvester Brown Jr. / Nov 25, 2020

http://www.stlamerican.com/entertainment/living_it/kristian-blackmon-creates-happiness-and-joy-in-the-midst-of-a-pandemic/article_1a465f20-2f77-11eb-8c98-530ac671902f.html

"There's nothing funny about COVID"

By Sylvester Brown Jr. / Nov 29, 2020 

http://www.stlamerican.com/business/eye_on_business/there-s-nothing-funny-about-covid/article_163b5676-3272-11eb-b634-7f5bb98633f8.html