Blacks and other marginalized racial groups in the United States have been disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. At the end of May, Blacks in Philadelphia comprised forty-five percent of people with confirmed infection compared to 15 percent white, 9 percent Hispanic, 4 percent Asian, and 23 percent of unknown race. Blacks were also 1.9-3.5 times more likely to have confirmed infection than whites and mortality rates were substantially higher among Blacks (9.4 per 10,000 residents) compared to whites (6.3 per 10,000). Grounded in Critical Race Theory and Systems Science, this presentation will examine inequities in COVID-19 rates by segregation in Philadelphia during the first 8 weeks of the pandemic. Methods: Data on COVID-19 cases between March 10 and May 15 were linked to ZIP codes in Philadelphia. Data from the 2014-2018 American Community Survey was used to measure racial residential segregation and structural susceptibility. Rates were calculated for each ZIP code and descriptive comparisons between the most and least segregated neighborhoods were examined. Results: Racially segregated communities in Philadelphia had higher levels of structural characteristics that increase exposure and community transmission to the virus. The COVID-19 rate in the most segregated ZIP codes was 23% higher than the city overall and 2 times the rate of the least segregated neighborhoods. Conclusion: Residential segregation is a fundamental driver of racial inequities in COVID-19 in Philadelphia. Short and learn-term policy solutions must be designed to address structural racism in order to mitigate racial inequities during the pandemic and beyond.