Communities of color are being disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. The effects of systemic racism in these communities – reflected in higher rates of chronic disease such as asthma and diabetes, less access to health care services, crowded housing, and a higher proportion of front-line jobs with limited sick leave or other protections – have left their residents particularly vulnerable to the pandemic. To help these communities recover and thrive in the future health care organizations need to understand how systemic racism, particularly medicine's role, created the conditions that allowed the pandemic to take such a deadly toll. This conversation will start to explore this question along with how healthcare can partner with these communities to build trust and work to change local policies and institutions that continue to perpetuate systemic racism and its harmful effects.