For too many Black families in this country, there are empty seats at the table and a painful reminder of lives lost to COVID-19. The disturbing statistics around the racial disparities of the COVID-19 pandemic continue to mount. Black Americans are becoming infected with the coronavirus at a rate three times that of White Americans and are twice as likely to die from the virus. And most upsettingly, about 1 in every 1,000 Black Americans have died from COVID-19 since February.

Fighting a pandemic is complex, and there is no single problem that leads to death tolls like we’re seeing every day in the news. But, in the COVID-era, we’re seeing a heightened disregard, debates, and even denial of science and its role in our lives, among a fatigued and restless public. But as the pandemic rages on, the communities most harshly impacted are those of color -- especially the Black community. That’s why as a scientist myself, I know that more than ever, we need to put our trust in science -- and follow practices that scientists recommend --  to save lives -- especially Black lives.