Black-owned funeral homes adapt for coronavirus, serve communities
‘We’re having too many funerals now,’ owner says
Ileana Najarro, Tampa Bay Times
Associated Press
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A mortuary worker prepares the coffin carrying the body of a person who died of COVID-19 before being cremated during a funeral at Mmora mortuary in Girona, Spain, Thursday, Nov. 19, 2020. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti) (Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)
TAMPA, Fla. – For the first time since 1990, Jeffrey Rhodes has told families that the Ray Williams Funeral Home was booked for the weekend.
Many churches are not allowing funerals this year due to coronavirus pandemic safety measures. Rhodes, like other Black funeral directors across Florida and the country, has been relying on graveside or chapel services which have fewer time slots available on weekends ― which families prefer ― making it hard to accommodate all families at once.