Dr. Hildreth proposed the establishment of the Consortium of Black Medical Schools (CBMS), which would consist of Meharry Medical College, Howard University College of Medicine, Morehouse School of Medicine, and Charles R. Drew Medical School, all historically black institutions.The CBMS would increase and expand rapid testing and contact tracing in predominantly low-income, minority communities, provide social distancing opportunities for vulnerable populations, and help these communities prepare for a potential second wave of the virus.According to the APM Research Lab, which is compiling data from Washington, D.C. and 40 states that have provided coronavirus data regarding race and ethnicity, the COVID-19 mortality rate for blacks is 2.4 times the rate as whites and 2.2 times as high as the rate for Asian and Latino Americans.Those disparities deepen in particular states, like Michigan, Kansas, Wisconsin, and D.C., where five to seven black people die from COVID-19 for every white person that dies from it.“Let us take our place in this fight,” Hildreth said. “We already are well-prepared and well-trained. But we must be well-armed. Please arm us.”Hildreth’s plan would cost $5 billion over the next five years, which he described as “a sliver of the total stimulus package — 1% of 1%.”