Abstract:

The disastrous effects of COVID-19 provided a dire illumination of the disproportional mortality rate among American Blacks and Latinxs and the absence of same said groups as physicians, scientists, or advanced medical media spokespersons. These pathologies are both mutual and exclusive in that the reasons for each reside in a common absence of a successful pursuit of education, primarily those within the STEM disciplines. This research-based commentary is the outcome of an investigation to determine the Who, What, Where, When, and How of the consequences of the virus. It also attempts to address the aforementioned inequities to finally and permanently change the group's intractable failure by the established school system. The prospect of identifying, cultivating, and increasing the country’s knowledge base is paramount, and this work provides a framework to capitalize on this occasion. America’s future role in a technological world will depend largely on the caliber and number of STEM citizens.