Burnetta Kinsey, a resident of Compton, Los Angeles, describes her symptoms at a mobile Covid-19 testing station on April 28. | Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images

Throughout US history, Black people have endured a medical system that has been simultaneously exploitative and dismissive.

The protests that have ignited across the country have been fueled by a powder keg built not just on human rights abuses like police brutality, but also on the disproportionate and dire economic and health impacts of Covid-19.

While the novel coronavirus has negatively impacted the entire nation, Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities are being devastated. Recent data shows that the Covid-19 mortality rate for Black Americans is about 2.4 times higher than for whites. Black people have also been less likely to be referred for Covid-19 testing and medical care.

The discussion around these stark realities — in