Structural, cultural, and interpersonal racism impose unique and substantial stressors on the daily lives of families raising young children of color. Understanding how these stressors affect child health and development provides a compelling framework for new ideas about how communities, policies, programs, and funding streams might confront and dismantle these inequities and build a stronger future for all. Current policies that expand access to high-quality medical care and early childhood programs provide important benefits for individual children and families. But to reduce persistent inequalities at a population level, they must be augmented by a more intentional, "upstream" focus on a broader range of socioeconomic conditions and policies. This brief is a snapshot of current knowledge on this topic based on studies from the social and biological sciences. Its content was excerpted and adapted from "Early Childhood Adversity, Toxic Stress, and the Impacts of Racism on the Foundations of Health," by Jack P. Shonkoff, Natalie Slopen, and David R. Williams ("Annual Review of Public Health," 2021).