WASHINGTON, D.C.: For the past 11 months, Reign Free has done everything she can think of to keep her catering company open after the pandemic hit — a fight shared by many Black-owned businesses across the United States.

As her business dried up, Free has taken out loans from the US government and other lenders and searched for new opportunities, but she wonders how much longer Red Door Catering in Oakland, California can survive the slump.