Uncomfortable truths, long ignored, can rise up suddenly and demand action: Black lives matter, not just in encounters with the police. Why is it, exactly, that African Americans' lives are less healthy, poorer, and shorter? Experts may politely call them disparities. But for black men, women, and children, entrenched racism hobbles their lives. The remedies have been tardy and elusive.

As we determine where our shaken democracy heads next, we need to focus on hard evidence about persistent health inequities and injustices - why and how they came about, and what we can do to fix it...