In St. Louis, as in much of the United States, African Americans are more likely to test positive for COVID-19. They’re also more likely to be hospitalized, to end up in intensive care and to die of the infection. Further, protests that have erupted against police violence point to another stressor shouldered primarily by African Americans. In this episode, we discuss systemic racism — inside and outside the health-care system — and how the COVID-19 pandemic has propelled the issue to the forefront of our national consciousness. We speak with third-year medical student Kamaria Lee about her life as she studies to become a doctor during a time of massive protests and a pandemic. We also speak with Wenners Ballard III, MD. A hospitalist and an instructor in the Department of Medicine, he takes care of acutely ill patients in the hospital. These days, every one of his patients has been hospitalized for COVID-19. The majority also are people of color. The podcast “Show Me the Science” is produced by the Office of Medical Public Affairs at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.