Latino families are reeling from COVID-19. Help this Fresno reporter tell their stories

This story is part of the Central Valley News Collaborative — a bilingual, community journalism project funded by the Central Valley Community Foundation and with technology and training support from Microsoft Corp. The collaboration includes The Fresno Bee, Valley Public Radio, Vida en el Valle, Radio Bilingüe and the Institute for Media & Public Trust at Fresno State.

My name is Nadia Lopez. I’m a Report for America corps member with The Fresno Bee, where I’ve been reporting on the coronavirus pandemic’s toll on the Latino community.

A little more than a year into the pandemic, life is beginning to look a little more normal in California. Vaccinations are increasing, mask requirements are easing, people are returning to work and students are heading back to school. Life is feeling a little less catastrophic — for some.

While millions of the state’s residents experience a newfound sense of relief that the worst of the pandemic may be over, many Latino families are still reeling from the grief and trauma that the virus has caused in their communities. They have been hit hardest by COVID-19 and continue to face new challenges in its aftermath.

Nowhere is it more evident than in the central San Joaquin Valley, where the poorest have suffered some of the greatest losses. Many of those include agricultural workers — the bulk of whom are also Latino, immigrants and undocumented — who continued to toil in California’s fields despite the threat to their health and families. They earn low wages, suffer from poor nutrition and lack basic access to healthcare, making them prime targets for COVID-19.

The devastation was palpable.

In many aspects, the issues affecting Latinos are often at the center of the country’s most pressing and contentious discussions on policy and race. Even before the pandemic, Latinos in the Central Valley fared worse than other Californians — bludgeoned by the reality of poverty, crime, pollution and blight in their neighborhoods. The pandemic has only put a spotlight on these ingrained disparities.

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Since day one, my goal has been to tell deeper stories about the Latino community. I began this reporting nearly a year ago as Report for America corps member, and have doubled down on this mission since we launched the Central Valley News Collaborative earlier this year. The collaborative is supported by the Central Valley Community Foundation with technology and training support by Microsoft Corp.

I reported on the toll the virus has taken on Latino immigrants, who in one county outpaced every other ethnic group in the number of COVID-19 related cases and deaths.

I wrote about why Latinos were underrepresented in COVID-19 vaccinations and the fears farmworkers held about the safety of the vaccine, especially in the aftermath of the Johnson & Johnson recall.

My coverage has also shed light on the vibrancy and richness of Latino culture.

I interviewed the family of a slain Fresno street vendor, who sold steamed corn that he would serve as an elote or esquite and attracted flocks of loyal customers.

I wrote about Fresno’s Latino business owners who cater to quinceañeras and weddings and how they’ve had to pivot their operations to stay afloat.

With your continued support, we hope to expand and diversify our news coverage. We aim to provide in-depth reporting across the Valley, on topics that we have wanted to write about but have not had the bandwidth to do so.

By contributing to the collaborative, you’ll allow us to delve deep and assess the fallout of this crisis as the Valley enters a period of recovery. You’ll also help ensure the Bee’s reporting across the community remains strong.

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As always, your donation is 100% tax deductible and will be made to our partner nonprofit foundation, Journalism Funding Partners.

If you prefer to send a check, please make it payable to “Journalism Funding Partners” and in the notes field on the check write “The Fresno Bee.” If you include your email address, we’ll send you a tax donation letter confirming your gift.

Checks should be mailed to Journalism Funding Partners, c/o McClatchy Company, PO Box 15779, Sacramento, CA 95852.

This story was originally published May 20, 2021 at 3:00 PM.