Finding Data To Map Black-Owned Businesses in Los Angeles
Racial equity is front and center in Los Angeles. Stay-at-home orders in place, and COVID-19 cases are continuing to rise across the city. The second stimulus package will infuse the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) with additional funding. This time around, it will be important for as many Black-Owned businesses to access loans from the PPP.
Many Black-Owned businesses have been left out of the PPP funds due to a lack of relationships with banks. The Brookings Institute, Bloomberg, and Vox have reported that small businesses in communities of color had unequal access to previous federal COVID-19 relief. It’s such a problem that Magic Johnson stepped in last spring to offer assistance.
To increase awareness about these disparities, I worked with the LA Open Data team on a project that mapped the distribution of Black-owned businesses across the city. My main task was to collect geographic data for black-owned companies in LA using resources from the LA Times, Kat Hong, and Yelp. I used a combination of web scraping, APIs, and bots to create an inventory of over 500 LA Black-owned businesses. This data was then used to produce an interactive map of Black-owned companies overlaid with SBA Paycheck Protection Program Loan Level Data using ArcGIS.
By far, this was one of my most rewarding data projects. I recommend anyone interested in open data to apply to the LA City’s Data Angel program. It’s a great way to develop your skills while using data for public good.
