In a time of crisis, numbers matter.

They tell a story.

Across the country, they're telling us that black people are dying at higher rates from

COVID-19.

That's true in Louisiana, when numbers tell us that African Americans represent 56% of the

fatalities despite being only 32% of the population.

Others also tell us that some regions are struggling more than others to keep COVID-19

at bay.

In the southeast part of Louisiana, St. John the Baptist and St. James Parishes are among

the 20 U.S. counties with the highest per capita death rate from coronavirus.

That's according to analysis by the Times Piccoyoon and the advocate.

But the land here, it tells a story too.

Finding alongside the twist and turns of the Mississippi River, this region was once known

as the German coast of Louisiana.

In 1811, 500 enslaved people armed themselves with muskets and ammunition and letter rebellion.

It was the largest slave revolt in U.S. history.

But ultimately, it fell short.

Slavery will continue in Louisiana for more than 50 years.

And finally ended, plantation owners sold their land.

And black people whose families had been enslaved stayed nearby.

Sharecropping replaced slavery, farms replaced plantations, and industry eventually replaced

farms.

...