COVID-19: Through the eyes of Watts residents

It has been a year since the declaration of a global pandemic, COVID-19. The public was advised to quarantine in their homes. And avoid leaving their homes except for necessary reasons to prevent the spread of the virus. As schools and businesses closed down and transitioned virtually. There are occupations which remained open such as healthcare, supermarkets, agricultural fields, fast food restaurants, etc.

Low income communities in South L.A. have been hit harder from the virus when compared to wealthier communities. This could be due to low income residents working in essential services and living in crammed housing. My community of Watts has a total of 7337 COVID-19 cases in the span of a whole year, according to Crosstown. For my report I want to investigate how families from my community had to adapt living through a pandemic, especially those who were infected by the virus.

I will approach my report by engaging with residents about Watts and reporting on their lives. I want to make sure the residents feel represented on my project. Instead of writing a narrative about the community as a whole, I want to report on this project through a handful of residents.

I want to reflect my community as a predominantly Black and Latino community who has been forgotten through a pandemic. I want to report on the stories of Watts residents who are currently being affected by COVID-19. There is not enough coverage of Watts residents since the start of the pandemic. Watts is just one of the low income communities who are barely covered by the news media.

But it is easier to find content focused on communities such as South L.A., Central L.A. and East L.A. For example, in an article from the LA Times, the story focuses on how low income communities are more affected by wealthier communities instead of focusing on one community. I want to report on a story that is not about South L.A. I want to engage with my communities and learn about their lives from last year. That way a non-resident from Watts can learn how my community has been affected.

This article is an example of covering a story about South L.A. but not emphasizing Watts. https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-02-28/winter-covid-surge-uneven-in-los-angeles

Questions I want to ask for my projects are:

1. What is your occupation?
2. How many people live in your home?
3. What was your reaction when you first heard about the pandemic?
4. After a year, what has been your experience living through a pandemic?
5. Have you or someone in your household been infected, if so how did this impact you?
6. What are the sources you use or are exposed to to become informed about COVID-19 and the vaccine? How confident are you about receiving the vaccine?

From my previous interviews, I have learned to ask questions that will encourage the interviewee to answer with personal responses instead of simple yes or no answers.

The format I want to use for my project is through photos. I want to write a biography for each Watts resident. The biography will emphasize their life story about the pandemic. And their personal experiences with COVID-19. I want to include a photograph of the resident so as you read about their life you can picture them. So you can see what the community of Watts looks like.