Senate majority leader Bill Frist (R-TN), who trained as a transplant surgeon and now aspires to be president, has been a strong voice for eliminating the disparities that characterize the U.S. health care system, and he speaks out again in this thematic issue on that subject. Similarly, Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-MA), the Democratic champion of most health care initiatives during his long tenure in Congress, adds his voice to the outcry over disparities. These are important voices that may persuade Congress to add this item to its already crowded agenda, but the jury is clearly out.We believe that this is a critical set of issues and thus are devoting this volume to papers that document disparities,many of which could be eliminated if the Bush administration, Congress, and the electorate demonstrate the collective will to do so.