Black Businesses Hit Hard By COVID-19 Fight To Stay Afloat

In this May 20, 2020 photo, Pinky Cole, owner of Slutty Vegan restaurants and food trucks, wipes down a sign on her storefront in Atlanta. In the past few years Slutty Vegan has attracted a cult-like following with its raunchy approach to veganism. Celebrities often pop in for a visit. And customers routinely wait through long lines to order from the chain’s cheekily-named menu. The chain has opened new locations in Alabama and New York since owner Pinky Cole opened up the first brick-and-mortar location in 2018. (AP Photo/Angie Wang, file)

Angie Wang / Associated Press

Stephanie Byrd agonized over temporarily laying off nearly the entire staff at her family’s trio of Detroit businesses when the coronavirus pandemic hit.

But she’s not just concerned about the impact on their bottom line.

She’s worried other black-owned businesses will struggle to withstand another wave of economic uncertainty, following decades of inequity that made it hard for many to flourish in the first place.