The dean of Johns Hopkins Medical School has apologized to staff after a diversity, equity and inclusion official sent a woke hit list email that labeled all white people, Christians, men and English speakers as ‘privileged’ labeled.
The letter, first posted on Twitter by End Wokeness, was written by Chief Diversity Officer Sherita Hill Golden and was part of the company’s “monthly diversity digest.”
It caused a commotion and outrage online, forcing the institution to apologize.
Dr. Golden was allowed to keep her job, despite calls for her dismissal. Now the dean and president of the medical school said they “disavowed” her language.
The letter, posted on Twitter by End Wokeness, was reportedly written by Chief Diversity Officer Sherita Hill and was part of the “monthly diversity summary.”
The letter was sent by Dr. Sherita Hill Golden sent to staff for ‘Monthly Diversity Summary’
Theodore L. DeWeese, the late medical school faculty member, and Kevin W. Sowers, the president of the Johns Hopkins Health System, wrote: “Each month, the Johns Hopkins Medicine Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Health Equity distributes a newsletter from the chief from JHM diversity officer, Dr. Sherita Golden.
“Unfortunately, the January edition of this newsletter, distributed yesterday to all Johns Hopkins Medicine employees, contained a definition of privilege that is inconsistent with our institution’s values and our mission and commitment to serve all equally.
‘Dr. Golden heard our community’s feedback, sincerely apologized and retracted the definition. We fully support and appreciate her decision to do this, and as leaders of Johns Hopkins Medicine, we too reject this language.”
In the first email sent, Dr. Golden explains that ‘privilege’ is the ‘diversity word of the month’.
To explain who the phrase applies to, she offered a list. It says: ‘Privilege is characteristically invisible to people who have it.
“White people, able-bodied people, heterosexual people, cisgender people, male Christians, middle-class or property-owning people, middle-aged people and English-speaking people” all fit the bill, Golden said.
‘People in dominant groups often believe that they have earned the privileges they enjoy, or that anyone could have access to these privileges if they would only work to earn them.
“In fact, privileges are unearned and are granted to people in the dominant groups whether they want those privileges or not, and regardless of their stated intentions.”
Among those condemning the comments was Elon Musk, who tweeted: “This has to end!”
Donald Trump Jr. said, “The rot and racism in higher education goes so far beyond Harvard, MIT, and Penn (my alma mater) that it has taken over virtually every institution and it must end now.”
Theodore L. DeWeese, the late medical school faculty member, said: ‘As leaders of Johns Hopkins Medicine, we too reject this language’
After the post went viral on Twitter, Golden apologized to staff.
‘The newsletter contained a definition of the word privilege, which on reflection I deeply regret. The intent of the newsletter is to inform and support an inclusive community at Hopkins, but the language of this definition clearly fell short of that goal.
‘Because it was too simplistic and poorly worded, it actually had the opposite effect.’
“I retract and reject the definition I shared, and I am sorry.”
In a statement to DailyMail.com, a spokesperson for Johns Hopkins Medicine said: ‘The January edition of the Johns Hopkins Medicine Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Health Equity monthly newsletter used language that contradicted Johns Hopkins’ values as institute.
‘Dr. Sherita Golden, Chief Diversity Officer at Johns Hopkins Medicine, sincerely acknowledged this error and retracted the language in the message.”
Other Twitter users also dismissed the letter.
In a follow-up today, after the email went viral on social media, she apologized for her “poorly worded” definition
In response, conservative activists are trashing the institution online.
“Johns Hopkins is throwing its legacy of a respected and revered institution onto the DEI movement, which history will cite as the thing that brought down this venerable institution for promoting racism, discrimination, and too many phobias to mention.” , someone wrote.
“I fall into every category here so I must be the privileged world champion,” another user joked.
“I would love it if the word ‘privilege’ just got sucked into a vortex, never to be seen or spoken again,” said another.
Last October, Johns Hopkins made headlines when it renamed one of its programs the Caroline Donovan Professorship in English Literature because the Donovan family owned slaves in the 19th century.
According to a 2020 announcement The school’s founder Johns Hopkins was also a slave owner despite being a Quaker, a group that was largely abolitionist.
“Weighing the most important legacy of any name is a subjective and imprecise process, but in undertaking this work the University seeks to reconcile history with the values it seeks to protect and uphold,” said Vice President of the university’s board of trustees, Sarah O.,” Hagan said in a statement at the time.