A Data Visualization Newsletter

Newly-released census tract data paints an interesting picture of how the racial demographics of the US have changed over the last several decades. Diversity in many areas has increased — due in large part to the rising Hispanic population and declining White one — but not everywhere. Use this map from The Washington Post to explore how the racial makeup of your neighborhood has shifted since 1990.

In a stunning development over the weekend, Taliban forces took over Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan. It’s the culmination of several months of bloodshed, in which the Taliban wrested control of the country away from the US-backed, Afghan government. The New York Times maps the Taliban’s swift advance since early May.

Since last April, Chicago businesses have received billions of dollars of financial aid through the Payment Protection Program. But an analysis by Bloomberg shows that, while small businesses in majority-Black areas received more stimulus dollars per capita than White areas, the funds ended up coming much later. By the time PPP money arrived in some minority neighborhoods, they’d already lived through months of shutdowns and economic turmoil.

As coronavirus cases begin to spike again in the US, the importance of getting vaccinated is becoming even more apparent. The New York Times underscores this point by showing us two hypothetical groups of people: one in which the vaccination rate is low (20%) and one in which it is very high (95%). If exposed to the virus, the highly vaccinated group suffers much fewer infections, hospitalizations, and deaths.

Ready to make travel plans this fall? Make sure to check out this tracker from Bloomberg first. It’ll show you which of 40 major business and tourist destinations around the globe are still inaccessible to you based on the city you’re coming from. It also tracks city rules on public health measures like masking, as well as the openness of restaurants, bars, and nightclubs.