San Jose’s Cultural Districts Ravaged by Pandemic

Jennifer Wadsworth of Metro and San Jose Inside wrote a fine piece back in the spring, looking at the challenges COVID-19 is posing for four special cultural districts located within the city: Little Saigon, Japantown, Little Portugal, and Little Italy.

Wadsworth noted how these neighborhoods endured decades of hardship (including how Japantown was one of just three to survive World War II-era internments of its residents).

“All of that stopped when the entire Bay Area banned everything but essential services to slow the transmission of COVID-19,” Wadsworth wrote. 

From there, the article explores one of the tough truths that’s emerged through the pandemic: Economic relief is hard to come by for the smaller businesses common to immigrant communities, with many of these businesses lacking sufficient credit histories or desired loan amounts to make financial institutions want to deal with them.

Wadsworth also looks at people trying to help keep the districts afloat, such as Alum Rock Santa Clara Business Association founder and businessman Jesus Flores, who had already been educating local business people and pushing back against displacement.

To read the full article, go here