Navigating trauma

GRINER SENTENCED Journalists react

to the sentence of nine years in a prison camp for the WNBA superstar. Page 4

THE MONITOR & LATINO REPORTER

BUSTLING BUSINESS Quinceaneras

dressmakers try to keep up with postpandemic demand. Page 5-6

STAYING ALIVE Black entrepreneurs

stretch themselves to stay in business through COVID shutdown. Page 10

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(AP PHOTO/MATT ROURKE)

GLORIA PAZMINO

People gather at Tops Supermarket to mourn 10 killed in Buffalo, New York at left. Right, journalist Ila Wilborn sets up camera equipment for a broadcast of the news outside.

NAVIGATING TRAUMA

Journalist of color learn to be sensitive and take care of themselves. PAGE 8-9

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Monkeypox adds to concerns but not a showstopper

BY WORTHINGTON MOORE THE MONITOR &

THE N A B REPORTER J MONITOR LATINO & T H E L AT I N O R E P O R T E R

2022 S TAFF RAYSHAUN BAKER-LYNCH KARINA BAZARTE YAW BONSU TONI BRYCE KENYA CAPEHART ALEXIS DAVIS AMANDA DEJESUS JUSTIN EVANS NATALIA FERNANDEZ SANDOVAL JASMINE FRANKLIN KAYA FREEMAN DEANNA GILES

As conference goers make their way to Las Vegas for the first in-person convention in three years, health concerns are at the top of everyone’s list.

In addition to COVID-19, the growing trend of monkeypox has some attendees like Angel Idowu worried. The Biden administration declared the virus a public health emergency on Thursday.

“I’m nervous about getting it during the convention to be honest,” said Idowu.

In response, monkeypox vaccines are in high demand by the general public.

Rafael Carranza, an NAHJ mentor, made it a priority to get his shot.

“I got the vaccine because I fall into one of the high risk categories as determined by public health authorities,” said Carranza. “As soon as I had that opportunity in my city I jumped on [it]”.

Some of the high risk groups include gay or bisexual men who are having intimate interactions with others according

to former U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams.

“Right now, we know that the majority of cases of monkey pox, over 95%, are being spread in men who have sex with men. We don’t know if this is due to direct transmission via sexual route,” Adams told The Monitor.

Overall, the bottom line for health officials like Adams is for attendees to be cautious and aware of the disease but not fearful.

“We want people to be aware, but not overly panicked about this current outbreak,” he said.

For those attending the NABJ-NAHJ conference like Carranza, that’s great news to hear.

“The NAHJ conferences have always been a great opportunity to see people that you work with that you[‘ve] known for a long time and to be able to spend time with them,” he said. “The fact that it’s a joint conference with NABJ makes it even more exciting.”

Safeguarding Against Monkeypox Although the likelyhood is minimal, monkeypox can be contracted by anyone. High-risk groups for monkeypox include individuals who are gay, bisexual and others who have intimate contact with multiple or anonymous people.

DETECTION

Signs of monkeypox

• Fever

• Muscle Aches

• Rash

• Chills

• Swollen Lymph Nodes

• Exhaustion • Headache

PROTECTION

Ways to personally protect yourself

• Avoid close, skin-to-skin contact with people who have a rash that looks like monkeypox • Avoid contact with objects and materials used by an infected person

• Wash your hands often with soap and water or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer, especially before eating or touching your face and after using the bathroom

PREVENTION

Vaccination can protect you and your community

SHANAÉ HARTE

NABJ / NAHJ

ANNA GUARACAO NICHOLAS HERNANDEZ GRANT HINES NAYELI JARAMILLO-PLATA ZAKIYA JENNINGS BROOKLYN JOYNER IVARELIS LÓPEZ MARTINEZ DEIDRE MONTAGUE WORTHINGTON MOORE ALEXANDRA MORA MEDINA CHRISTINA NORRIS HEIDI PEREZ-MORENO HARMONY PORTER CLAUDIA RIVERA COTTO TANYA VELÁZQUEZ DAYANA VILLANUEVA NATASHA WILLIAMS

CO N V E NTI O N H I G H L I G HT S Amplifying Community Journalism | powered by palabra 9:30 a.m.

Genoa Women of Color in Sports Media: Plays to Win the Game | powered

by CBS News 10 a.m.

Milano V Lessons Learned from Pandemic Reporting and Strategies for Improving News Coverage for and About Latinos 11 a.m.

Pompeian Ballroom II Facing the Past to Build a Common Future: Lessons from America’s Last-Known Slave Ship | luncheon |

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Palace Ballroom I

Agenda & Dotdash Meredith 3:30 p.m.

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El impacto de los combustibles fòsiles para las comunidades de color: injusticia medioambiental y desinformaciòn 12:30 p.m.

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NABJ Elections Press Conference 5:30 p.m.

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LE T ’S CO N N E C T

THE NABJ MONITOR

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Journalists react to Griner’s sentence ‘We’ve all failed her.

I’ve failed her. So many of us have failed her.’

BY RAYSHAUN BAKER-LYNCH

The Russian court system on Thursday sentenced WNBA All-Star Brittney Griner to nine years in prison for possessing cannabis vape cartridges.

News spread quickly to the NABJ/NAHJ Convention in Las Vegas, where ESPN anchor Elle Duncan said she was saddened but not surprised about the news.

“We’ve all failed her,” Duncan said. “I’ve failed her. So many of us have failed her.

“We were told very early on, like, don’t talk about it, don’t bring too much attention to it. This is part of the diplomacy of trying to work with Russia, and we sort of just accepted that,” she said.

President Joe Biden released a statement condemning Griner’s sentence.

“It’s unacceptable,” Biden said, “and I call on Russia to release her immediately so she can be with her wife, loved ones, friends and teammates.”

In February, Griner traveled to Russia during the WNBA offseason to earn extra money playing basketball. At the Moscow airport, she was stopped by Russian Federal customs – who said vape cartridges were discovered.

Last month, Griner pleaded guilty to the charges.

Duncan wondered if the United States would have taken the same course of action if Griner had instead been a male star athlete like Lebron James and Tom Brady.

ESPN basketball analyst Monica McNutt wondered if Griner’s dilemma with Russian law would have been the same if she was a straight white woman with blonde hair who played basketball.

“My thought goes to the White House in terms of what President Biden and the administration are willing to do to negotiate this,” McNutt said.

Last week, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said that a “substantial proposal” had been made to the Russian government to return Griner and Paul Whelan, a former Marine held in Russia.

AP PHOTO/ALEXANDER ZEMLIANICHENKO

A policeman removes the handcuffs from WNBA star and two-time Olympic gold medalist Brittney Griner in a courtroom prior to a hearing in July. Left, Griner is escorted in a court room prior to a hearing, in Khimki just outside Moscow, on Thursday.

Several media outlets have reported that the U.S. is offering to trade the Americans for Russian convicted arms dealer Viktor Bout. No deal has been announced.

“We’re dealing with a different country with different values, different laws, different beliefs,” said Marc Spears, a senior NBA writer for Andscape. “So to me, this

is an international issue, it’s not an American issue,” In 2018, Whelan was arrested on charges of being a spy in Russia, and the Russian courts sentenced him to 16 years in prison on espionage charges.

“I’m still in shock,” said Darren M. Haynes sports director and sports anchor at WUSA-TV in Washington, D.C. “I get it.

She broke the Russian law. But I think it’s much bigger than that. Brittney Griner is being a negotiating tool with another country that, I mean, obviously for decades we just haven’t had the best relationship with Russia.”

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Sports betting provides a big win for Nevada Mobile apps now provide the chance to bet from anywhere in any state but Las Vegas is still a draw

BY RAYSHAUN BAKER-LYNCH

Sports gambling in Nevada broke records in 2021 with $8.1 billion in wagers and $445.1 million in wins. Wagering in college and professional football was a major factor, totaling $2.7 billion and generating $153.7 million in wins, according to the Nevada Gaming Board.

Mobile wagering has greatly increased sports gambling in the last 10 years, including in Las Vegas. In 2021, cell phone gambling was 65% of all betting in Nevada sportsbooks, equaling $5.3 billion, state records show.

“Football wagering generates the largest amount of wagering activity and win amounts for sportsbooks in Nevada,” said Michael Lawton, a research analyst for the Nevada Gaming Control Board.

Sports betting was illegal in the United States until 2018 because of the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) of 1992. This law did not apply in four states, including Nevada, that already allowed sports betting.

Sports betting blossomed in the United States after it was allowed by a U.S. Supreme Court decision in 2018. Allowing sports betting nationally has not detoured people from gambling in Las Vegas, said Lawton, adding that business is at an alltime high.

Las Vegas now has three professional sports teams, drawing more and more people to fuel the local economy. Millions visit Las Vegas yearly to bet on sports events like March Madness, the Super Bowl and the NBA Finals.

Bernard Jones of Oakland, California, visits Las Vegas to bet on sports, particularly football. The biggest thing for him is rooting for his team while trying to make money on them.

“Gambling is like an addiction. It can

AP PHOTO/JOHN LOCHER

A man watches Super Bowl LIII at the Westgate Superbook sports book in Las Vegas.

be like alcohol or drugs. When you’re winning that’s like a high that makes you want to keep going,” Jones said. “I love sports, so why not bet on them and try and make money?”

Mobile wagering is the most important development in sports betting, which has grown significantly in the last decade, Lawton said. Cell phone betting allows wagering at any time or place. In-play betting allows wagering while games are in progress.

Ogden, Utah, resident William Esquibel said mobile betting changed the game for him.

“In the past you would have to be at the actual sportsbook and now you can bet from anywhere,” Esquibel said. “I barely bet at casinos when it comes to sports. I do it pretty much all on my phone with the different apps that I have.”

“I love sports, so why not bet on them and try and make money?”

BERNARD JONES OF OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA

Traditional sportsbooks offer over-thecounter wagering inside the actual betting facility. Online gambling allows action while games are in progress.

FanDuel and DraftKings are some of the top advertised online sportsbooks.

They also have unique features, including making custom lineups as in fantasy football. With those lineups, gamblers can make money depending on players’ stats.

Online gambling has not replaced traditional sportsbooks. Sports parlors in casinos allow the full betting experience, including the ability to watch several contests at once on big screen televisions.

“Although it is difficult to measure, the sports wagering industry in Nevada is extremely important to both the economy of the state and Las Vegas,” Lawton said.

“Millions of visitors come to Nevada. They stimulate the economy.”

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Clockwise from far left: Diego Medel has been designing quince dresses for three decades. Nancy Lopez, 15, tries on the final version of her black gown at Medel’s custom quinceañeras store, Quinceland, on July 31. Medel sews on beaded floral details on an all-black quinceañera dress. A row of Medel’s custom dresses is displayed, including a strappy blue dress with floral details on the bust and skirt.

QUINCEAÑERA PILE-UP PAINS TEXT AND PHOTOS BY HEIDI PEREZ-MORENO

LOS ANGELES – It was an hour past when she would typically be clocking off her eight-hour shift, and Karina Dominguez was threading a new needle on her Singer sewing machine, untouched satin fabric laid out before her.

In half an hour, a 16-year-old girl would walk through the shop’s doors ready to try on her tightly-fitted quinceañera gown. Dominguez had to work fast.

She gathered her scissors and measuring tape, stared back at the ticking clock and began to envision the intricate ball gown adorned with gold embroidery and floral details that would come from the basic sample dress she constructed today.

It was one of dozens of dress orders the shop has received in recent months as business has boomed following the end of pandemic shutdowns. And Diego Medel’s dress shop in Los Angeles was just trying to keep up.

“This is all I’ve pretty much known,” she said. “I’m used to the chaos. It drives me.”

Medel opened his shop, Quinceland, five years ago. Back then, dress orders came in at a steady pace. He and his employees rarely worked nights or weekends. When the pandemic hit in 2020, his business and others like it were forced to close their doors as quinceañeras were canceled — in some cases, indefinitely.

Los Angeles lifted its restrictions on large social gatherings in June 2021. Soon after, Medel was receiving more orders than he knew what to do with. As quinceañeras stack up and customers pack stores, more disruptions loom: shipping delays, supply chain backlogs, tightened timelines, an exhausted workforce and families that expect more than ever.

“I don’t relax any days of the week,” Medel said. “I work seven days out of the week.”

Read the full story and listen to the audio version at www.latinoreporter.org

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Each dress that Diego Medel sells at his dress shop in Huntington Park is like a snowflake — no two are the same.

Far left: A display case of quinceañera tiaras sits behind Diego Medel’s front counter for girls to choose from. Left: A blue and beige charro hat, which get their name gets their name from the traditional horsemen of Mexico, is stored on one of the many shelves.

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Journalists say no one unaffected covering trauma Ila Wilborn, a content producer for CNN Newsource, broke down when she returned to her hotel room alone after a day of covering the tragic shooting of 10 Black people at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York.

Wilborn is one of many journalists who have had to navigate protecting their mental health while reporting on traumatic events, especially when reporting on individuals in the communities they identify with.

Wilborn says her colleagues would describe her attitude interviewing families in the Buffalo community while covering her first mass shooting as good and very helpful, but inside, she was feeling the gravity of it all. She said it was difficult to understand “why so many people died for doing nothing wrong, specifically

PHOTOGRAPHY BY ILA WILBORN

just because they were Black.”

“Speaking as a Black woman, I didn’t feel comfortable taking those moments and breaking down in front of other people because I felt that I would be judged

Dealing with COVID’s hidden side effects Latino organizers expand mental health care to meet community needs. BY ANNA GUARACAO At 6 years old, Mon Ocampo said goodbye to their mother, who said she was leaving for a business trip with no return date.

“She just knew that she needed to do something for me,” Ocampo said of their then-single mother, who left Honduras to seek opportunities in the United States.

In 2014, Ocampo followed their mom, traveling to Philadelphia alone. But adapting to life as a

teenager in the U.S. wasn’t easy.

Ocampo remembers heavy expectations as the family’s firstborn.

“You are the golden ticket out of here,” they said. “You’re supposed to get a degree. You’re supposed to do this and that. So all those expectations were, just, placed on us as soon as we got here.”

In seventh grade, Ocampo started hurting themselves. A school counselor referred them to La

or I felt that people would think that I wasn’t able to handle it,” Wilborn said.

Errin Haines, editor at large for The 19th, says she has had to take many mental health breaks while

Puerta Abierta —a Philadelphiabased counseling center offering free bilingual therapy to the Latinx immigrant and refugee community.

Hispanics have historically been vulnerable to mental health conditions due to barriers to care, exacerbated by COVID-19, experts say.

A 2020 survey by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found more than half of Hispanics reported at least one adverse mental or behavioral health condition, compared with about 38% of non-Hispanic white adults.

Mark Czeisler, who authored the report, said many factors contribute to the higher trends, including Hispanics being over-represented among essential workers and unable to stay at home and quar-

reporting on traumatic and often racially motivated events including the shootings of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Freddie Gray in Baltimore and the mass shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh.

She stresses that although journalists must be professional while on the job, internalizing feelings about trauma is not healthy and is something that catches up with people in one way or another.

“I had to actually kind of make space for myself, to kind of know what my own boundaries were and to talk to people about how I was feeling, being exposed to it, because we were in the courtroom,” Haines said. “I was in the courtroom listening to the mother of one of the victims in Charleston describe her child’s last moments. That’s extremely difficult.

Like, no one in that room was unaffected.”

The conversation among journalists about mental health is now receiving more attention, but it is not a new conversation.

The DART Center for Journalism and Trauma was created to advocate for ethical and thorough reporting of trauma and not only includes protecting the mental health of journalists covering the story, but also treating victims, survivors and their family members with compassion.

“People respond to trauma in many different ways,” Dart Center Executive Director Bruce Shapiro said. “There’s not a one size fits all answer, but in general, we need to be respectful of the psychological injuries people have sustained.”

COURTESY OF LA PUERTA ABIERTA

antine.

“It’s difficult to point to one thing as driving those differences,” he said.

The pandemic’s impact on the Latinx community has been profound since its onset, according to Cathi Tillman, La Puerta Abierta’s founding executive director.

La Puerta Abierta community members creating art together at their studio.

“There’s a lot more anxiety.”

The pandemic further marginalized community members already having trouble accessing services like the internet or transportation, affecting kids logging into virtual classrooms or families receiving meals from food distribution systems.

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Journalists are likely to experience short term emotional distress especially when reporting on communites they identify with. BY CHRISTINA NORRIS JOURNALISTS’ IDENTIT Y

Shapiro wrote an article on how journalists can practice self-care when reporting on community trauma explaining how the journalists’ identity can affect their mental health.

“When it comes to reporting on identity-based victimization and trauma, journalists’ own identity is never neutral,” he writes. “Reporting on individuals or communities with whom we identify — whether because of our race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, age or other factors — raises the stakes, and can be a source of both insight and vulnerability.

We need to lean into that conversation.”

Shapiro said in an interview that this identity balances with the role of journalist.

As a result, Tillman saw more clients with anxiety, depression and symptoms like headaches or insomnia.

“It all trickles down to lack of services and lack of support,” Tillman said.

Czeisler and his co-authors say community-level intervention and prevention like La Puerta Abierta are part of the answer. Today, La Puerta Abierta sees over 100 clients.

CULTURAL ATTITUDES

For the first time since living in the U.S., Ocampo felt like they could live authentically with their new community at La Puerta Abierta. They finally felt heard, they said.

“I felt loved,” Ocampo said. “I

be honest about it,” said Shapiro.

“And then you can ask much more useful questions like, can I be, am I being fair? So in my take on this? Am I being rigorous?”

DEVIL’S IN THE DETAILS

“We’re always managing our own proximity and distance to the story and it’s important to

On top of that, journalists have to act ethically in their coverage of trauma, paying attention to the potential harm they can cause to those who have already been traumatized., he said.

Part of that conversation includes whether or not to show graphic images of traumatic events as well as the names and faces of the people who commit actions that lead to trauma. Shapiro said images should be considered carefully and on a case-bycase basis.

Jelani Cobb, a journalist and

don’t get to feel that very often, just in the way that I was raised.”

Ocampo remembers that telling their family about going to therapy was difficult. Growing up, they were told to suck up their feelings, pray to God, move on and be fine.

“If I [told] them that I’m sad, they’re going to look at me and be like, OK, but did you pass your test? Did you pick up your brother? Did you pick up your mom’s medicine? Did you do this, did you do that?” they said.

Tillman said that cultural attitudes and stigmas within the Latinx community often lead to a misconception of what mental health is and requires.

“There’s this attitude that you hand it to God. ‘Primero Dios,’ is what folks will say,” she said.

The CDC National Center for Injury Prevention reports that suicides within this population increased from under 4,000 in 2017 to 4,571 deaths in 2020 — most of those coming from men.

“The stigma around mental health affects people of all genders, but I think there’s maybe some extra pressure on men to be ‘macho,’” said Chesy Tronchoni Bello, a counselor at La Puerta Abierta.

In the youth programs, she noted that the gender breakdown is much more equal, and there is more openness in younger Latinx generations.

“I think that’s a generational thing too,” Tillman said. “There’s more peer support and encouragement.”

Far left, CNN cameras face the Tops Supermarket after a mass shooting in Buffalo, New York, on May 17. Above, CNN Newsource National Correspondent Gloria Pazmino reports about the shooting.

dean of Columbia University’s Journalism School, said that used to be done on the fly while people were on deadline. Now it’s built into the process of covering trauma.

“Now, unfortunately, we have so many examples of this that people have had time to think about how they want to approach them,” Cobb said. Many news organizations have said they have developed policies of minimizing the number of times they name a suspect.

“But for the individuals, the troubled individuals who are seeking attention by committing these kinds of acts, we should be very reticent about giving them any higher of a public profile than they already have.”

Tips for Interviewing Trauma Survivors • Give them the space that they need if they get emotional • Find an outlet to cope with the stress as a journalist (Ex. opening up to someone, taking some time alone, or partaking in a healthy activity) • Show up on time • Be honest with the subject on what you can and can’t do in terms of coverage • If you are interviewing someone who has experienced loss, asked them what you would like the public to know about their loved one, friend or family member who has passed • Make sure people give their consent (verbal or written) before you interview them NABJ / NAHJ

MORE SUPPORT NEEDED

Czeisler says that more federal help is essential in supporting statewide and community efforts to improve mental health care.

“A functional and serviceable mental health care system is going to require investment at multiple levels,” Czeisler said.

Tillman agrees, but adds that money is not everything.

Training mental health care professionals and those in relevant fields to provide trauma-informed, linguistically appropriate services are also essential. In 2019, the American Psychological Association reported that the psychologist workforce consists of 83% white providers.

For Ocampo, being cared for in a safe environment and watch-

ing their peers learn to open up is what led them to stay with the Compas de Viaje program as a senior mentor. Ocampo had been a part pilot cohort during the summer of eighth grade.

“I’m there to make them feel comfortable,” they said. “I’m very open with individual youth, so they come to me to talk and just rant.”

Now 20, they are attending community college and plan to continue their education at Temple University.

“Have you ever been underwater for a long period of time when you are just dying to grab oxygen?” Ocampo said. “It felt like my chest broke open, and I felt all the air I’ve wanted to get for so many years.”

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Black business owners in Vegas survive pandemic COVID-19 hit small businesses hard. With determination but little government help, three Black-owned businesses pulled through

BY SHANAÉ HARTE

Jessica Beltran and Jenny King started a business in Las Vegas in 2015 not to make big bucks or scratch an entrepreneurial itch. They did it to help get King’s husband out of prison.

King’s then-husband, who had served years in a Nevada prison, was looking for a way to earn an early release. He needed a job, and Beltran and King decided to create one for him.

With a small artistic background, the pair opened Kingz Tattoo Parlor, where they could hire King’s partner. The marriage didn’t last, but the business did, even through a pandemic.

Kingz Tattoo Parlor is one of several Black-owned businesses in Las Vegas that struggled through the COVID-19 lockdown and emerged alive, if not necessarily thriv-

ing.

Black and Latinx businesses suffered more than small businesses as a whole during the lockdown that began in March 2020. University of California-Santa Cruz economist Robert Fairlee found that the number of Black business owners who were able to work fell 41% from February to April 2020, compared with an overall drop of 22%. It was 32% for Latinx business owners.

To combat the economic hit, the federal government created the Payroll Protection Plan and other programs through the Small Business Administration to help business owners make mortgage and/or rent, utility and payroll payments. But Black business owners had trouble accessing the funds.

“We didn’t get no help, no PPP help, no SBA help,” Beltran said. The sisters were

told they weren’t eligible because everyone in the shop was an independent contractor.

“Sadly, a lot of people I knew got SBA help and PPP help, and they had businesses just like me,” she said. “So we were just like, why didn’t we get any help at all?”

Nikisha Pennie, the owner of HooHa V-Spa, also was shut out of government assistance. She had just started her spa, and businesses were expected to show proof of several months of revenue to qualify for aid. She did not have this proof and was not eligible.

Though Pennie understood this, she was taken aback when she realized that nonbusiness owners were receiving help she couldn’t get.

“They gave people money that didn’t even have businesses, and it was hard for a small Black business to even get the funding,” she said. An Associated Press analysis found that minority-owned businesses were the last to be prioritized by PPP loan givers.

Beltran also experienced this but blamed the misallocation of funds on people who lied on their loan applications.

“So many people [scammed] the SBA, which is kind of like why we didn’t get money,” she said. “It left a lot of businesses without any help because there were people out there doing something wrong. It was very hard to even swallow that when I personally know people that didn’t have any businesses at all and they still got SBA loans.”

Beltran and her sister depleted their savings to get by. They were able to reopen the tattoo parlor months later but were still struggling financially and relocated to a

less expensive suite to lower their costs.

Pennie was still working a full-time job when she opened her business. For six months, Pennie rented a salon suite for her spa but after a few months, she was able to secure her own space.

Because of her full-time position, Pennie didn’t face financial struggles, but she struggled in other ways. Pennie went into a state of depression from working full-time and supporting the business during the pandemic. It was overwhelming, she said.

“I just invested all of my money into this because I didn’t have loans and grants. I’m funding this by working a full-time job,” she said. “So, I’m trying to juggle all this and being a mom, being a business owner, being an employee with someone else.

“It was just like, Damn!” she said. “I kind of went into a kind of depressed state.”

John Pinnington, the owner of AA Printing Services, went through his struggles once non-essential businesses were required to close; printing was not considered essential.

“There was no business coming in, but the landlord still required you to pay rent, the machine rental companies still required you, everybody required you to keep paying, but you weren’t getting nothing coming in,” said Pinnington.

Pinnington was one of the few Black business owners who were able to secure a PPP and an Economic Injury Disaster Loan. He was able to keep up on his payments, and the governmental aid allowed Pinnington to pay his six employees until they were able to return to the store.

“I didn’t let them go because I had the PPP,” he said. “So, even when they weren’t

Upper left: Nikisha Pennie at her HooHa V Spa in Las Vegas Tuesday.

Pennie did not qualify federal help because her company was too new.

Left: Jessica Beltran sketches artwork for her Kingz Tattoo Parlor in Las Vegas on Tuesday.

The shop survived the COVID-19 shutdown.

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here working and I would be working in the shop on my own, I would still write them a check at the end of the week to make sure they’re taken care of.”

The three businesses are back to normal now, but now they are facing a new challenge: inflation and the prospect of recession.

Pinnington created his business right after the 2010 recession, so he believes he is prepared to deal with another one.

“Some people are saying we’re in a recession already,” Pinnington said. “And this is a time now that I am using this moment either to make sure I have loans or lines of credit lined up for my companies because with a line of credit…it’s a safety net.

“So right now, if things were to slow down or we hit a recession, then I’d have to survive on that until the company comes back because this company will not stop.”

Pinnington is also working on securing permanent deals with high-class clients to ensure that he will always have business in case orders from average customers dry up during a recession.

Beltran is dreading a possible recession.

She has already reluctantly raised her prices due to inflation. She had no choice, she said.

Pennie is holding firm to keep her prices the same, despite rising costs. The V-Spa owner fears that increasing her prices will drive customers away.

Beltran and Pennie don’t think there will be another lockdown, but if there is, they don’t expect to survive.

“If there was another pandemic, I would for sure close up,” Beltran said. “If it came down to the case where we had to come out of pocket like we did before, shutting down would be very necessary.”

These business owners are advising other Black business owners to be prepared for another shock. It’s important, they say, for Black-owned businesses to be prepared for any challenge.

“Prepare yourself,” Pennie said. “Prepare for this recession. I made it through the pandemic and I’m already putting it out there. We’re going to make it through this inflation.”

A tattoo artist at Kingz Tattoo Parlor in Las Vegas works on a client on Tuesday.

The artists are contract workers so the shop did not qualify for federal loans.

Creativity + performance = an unstoppable combination.

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