In New Orleans, Louisiana, COVID-19 hit fast and early, following on the heels of Mardi Gras season. The city saw another coronavirus spike at the beginning of July. Meanwhile, the city has seen protests, largely peaceful, as people have cried out for racial equity.

In January, Darryl Smith became CEO of HomeSight in Southeast Seattle, the most diverse part of the city. When COVID-19 hit the United States, Washington was the first to be listed as a hotspot. There have been more than 25,000 cases of coronavirus confirmed in the state, and more than a thousand deaths. About half of those have been in King County, named for Martin Luther King, Jr., the county where Seattle is located.