The tragic events of 2020 have changed society forever. Since March over 210,000 Americans have died from COVID-19 with 7.4 million people infected. By comparison, the influenza pandemic of 1968 over its 3-year span was responsible for 100,000 U.S. deaths. COVID-19 is now the 3rd leading cause of death in the U.S. As a result of the breathtaking speed at which the coronavirus pandemic has spread, most segments of economic activity shut down for extended periods of time, and this led to depression-era increases in unemployment.
The pandemic that rages on has further exposed and exacerbated fundamental racial inequalities at all levels of society that must be wiped out with urgency. The devastating effects of structural racism are not only observed in rates of COVID-19 prevalence, hospitalization, and death among Black Americans that are triple those of Whites, but in a series of brutal killings by police of unarmed people of color. The nationwide protests against this brutality and calls for major criminal justice and social reforms have had a force not seen since the civil rights movement of the 1960s.
Although pandemics, racism, and economic recessions are not new, their combined effects plus the nationwide shutdown of workplaces, schools, and community centers has led to unprecedented needs. As with other sectors, science and disciplinary inquiry must change. Human capital research and social programs and policies must do better as well to ensure that the quality and effectiveness of investments increase, that we reassess and reflect upon past advances and shortcomings, and restructure accordingly.