Hello! I’m Alex Yoon-Hendricks, and here’s how I’m reporting on equity in Sacramento

A disabled grandmother who faced eviction. A low-income mother struggling with remote learning. A neighborhood of color coping again with another deadly shooting. A generation of working women leaving the workforce. A parolee regaining her right to vote.

Over the past few months, three journalists and I have been working tirelessly to talk to everyday residents of the Sacramento region to better understand and reveal the ways disparities are braided into the fabric of our communities.

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The community-funded equity lab is committed to reporting that sheds light on the experiences of the vulnerable and exploited, and that reveals the abuses and missteps of the complicit. Who’s struggling, who’s thriving, and why is there so often a chasm between the two?

We’re also committed to reporting with compassion and empathy. We want to spotlight the successes and remedies coming out of classrooms, city halls and community organizing.

It’s been a frequent phrase these last few months: The coronavirus pandemic, in its devastation that has disproportionately affected low-income people and people of color, has made plain the lingering presence of historical and ongoing systemic racism, poverty and discrimination in our society.

As COVID-19 cases spike once more in Sacramento and the country at large, this important coverage of equity in Sacramento remains urgent and vitally important.

My aim is to publish stories that can only be done in Sacramento. We reveal the disinvestment and disparities of our region — in housing, education, healthcare, the environment and more — with an eye toward potential solutions and resilience.

In covering race, inequity, poverty and injustice, we ground our reporting in the tangible ways, sometimes explicit, sometimes subtle, residents across the region are devalued, disparaged, disenfranchised and discriminated against. In specificity and nuance, we make a difference.

Doing this work — obtaining public records, scouring lawsuits, meeting sources and building trust — takes time and money. But we know how vital this coverage is for our readers, and for helping make Sacramento a more equitable, fair community.

We can’t do this without you. If you’ve got a story tip or idea for us, email us at equitylab@sacbee.com.

You can donate to our official campaign in partnership with the Local Media Foundation to help fund the Equity Lab.

You can also help The Bee’s efforts by subscribing. And read the Equity Lab’s stories, and please send us feedback. We want to hear from you. We’re committed to this work and to improving our coverage.

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This story was originally published November 24, 2020 at 5:00 AM.