Johns Hopkins Medicine’s chief diversity officer is no longer in the role two months after she wrote a newsletter identifying people with “privilege” and sparking backlash.
In the January newsletter from the Baltimore hospital and research center’s diversity office, Dr. Sherita Golden wrote that “privilege” was the “word of the month,” defining it as “a set of unearned benefits given to people who are in a specific social group.” Those social groups were categorized as white people, heterosexuals, cisgender people, men and Christians, among others.
Republican politicians and conservative media outlets seized the email as an example that diversity, equity and inclusion work is discrimination paid for with tax dollars. U.S. Rep. Andy Harris, Maryland’s only Republican congressman, described the diversity memo as racist and called for Golden’s termination.
The email was posted online by an account called “End Wokeness” and went viral on X, formerly known as Twitter, with about 69,000 likes as of Wednesday and attracting the attention of Elon Musk and Donald Trump Jr.
Golden, a vice president and professor of medicine, issued an apology in January for defining “privilege” and retracted it.
“The intent of the newsletter is to inform and support an inclusive community at Hopkins, but the language of this definition clearly did not meet that goal,” Golden wrote. “In fact, because it was overly simplistic and poorly worded, it had the opposite effect of being exclusionary and hurtful to members of our community.”
Supporters of Golden and her work criticized Hopkins Medicine’s response to the pushback, particularly Hopkins’ statement that the definition of privilege ran “counter to the values of our institution and mission.”
Two petitions were created to show support for Golden. In an open letter signed by nearly 700 staff and students, Hopkins leadership was asked why the definition is inconsistent with Hopkins’ values and described the backlash as “unfair and unwarranted attacks” against Golden.
“It is important for our institution to respond to assaults on our commitment to DEI with courage and conviction,” the letter’s authors wrote.
Dr. Theodore DeWeese, dean of Hopkins Medicine’s medical faculty, and Kevin Sowers, the president of the Johns Hopkins Health System, announced Tuesday that Golden decided to step down from her role as vice president and chief diversity officer after “a great deal of reflection.” She will continue to work as professor of endocrinology and metabolism and diabetes researcher.
“…Like many of you, we wanted her to stay in her role,” DeWeese and Sowers wrote in an email to the Johns Hopkins Medicine community.
Inez Stewart, Hopkins Medicine’s chief human resources officer, will lead the diversity, inclusion and health equity office while a national search for a new diversity chief is underway.
