The phrase "I can't breathe" has become a national slogan in recent months for those who are protesting against racial discrimination across the world. For clinicians caring for neonates, this phrase should serve as a reminder about the stark disparities in health outcomes and health services for black infants and their families that have persisted for decades in spite of a voluminous amount of literature describing these disparities and the factors contributing to them. It should galvanize us into action within the neonatal intensive care unit and beyond to ensure equal treatment for all patients and their families, and to take measures to compensate for the disparities.