Grocery Runs, Donations, and Memes: Inside the Rise of Neighborhood Slack Groups During the Lockdown

From New York to Columbus, Ohio, Slack groups are organizing to help neighbors in need

Drew Costley
OneZero

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In this photo illustration a Slack logo seen displayed on a phone with a World map of COVID 19 epidemic on the background.
Photo: Omar Marques/SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty Images

HHadass Wade was on her way home from her job as a bartender in the Brooklyn, New York, neighborhood of Bed-Stuy earlier this month when she stopped by a liquor store to stock up on provisions.

Everything was happening “really quickly,” she says. She and her co-workers were trying to come to terms with the rapid outbreak of coronavirus cases in New York City and self-quarantine orders from Gov. Andrew Cuomo. They weren’t sure whether or not the restaurant where they worked would have to shut down, leaving them unemployed.

At the store, she saw a sign that caught her eye. It was a flyer for a new group on the messaging app Slack called Bed-Stuy Strong, created in order to help residents of the Brooklyn neighborhood organize responses to the pandemic and stay-at-home orders. With over 150,000 residents, 46% of whom are Black, the neighborhood is larger than some small suburbs and has twice the poverty rate of the rest of New York City. She snapped a photo to share with her co-workers, most of whom live in Bed-Stuy.

The group also features niche…

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Drew Costley
OneZero

Drew Costley is a Staff Writer at FutureHuman covering the environment, health, science and tech. Previously @ SFGate, East Bay Express, USA Today, etc.