evidence: On average 380 out of every 100,000 Black adults became new entrepreneurs during the 2020 pandemic, up from 240 in each of the prior two years, according to the study, based on census data. [...] Some 40% of Black-owned firms closed in the immediate aftermath of the outbreak versus 20% of all active U.S. business, according to research by Robert Fairlie, an economics professor at UC Santa Cruz. [...] Still, for many Black workers and would-be entrepreneurs, the economic crisis spurred by COVID-19 provided an opportunity to try for something better.