Johns Hopkins Medicine’s vice president and chief diversity officer Dr. Sherita Golden has stepped down from her role, two months after receiving backlash for an email newsletter in which she explained the concept of privilege.
“She has been a valuable member of the Johns Hopkins Medicine leadership team, and, like many of you, we wanted her to stay in her role, but we respect her decision,” wrote Johns Hopkins Medicine CEO Dr. Theodore L. DeWeese and Johns Hopkins Health System President Kevin W. Sowers in an email to staff on Tuesday.
Golden will continue her work as a professor of endocrinology and metabolism with Johns Hopkins Medicine.
JHM will convene a search committee and conduct a national search for the next head of the Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Health Equity, according to Tuesday’s announcement.
In her Monthly Diversity Digest email in January, Golden defined privilege as “a set of unearned benefits given to people who are in a specific social group. Privilege operates on personal, interpersonal, cultural and institutional levels, and it provides advantages and favors to members of dominant groups at the expense of members of other groups.”
Golden listed social groups that have privilege, including white people, able-bodied people, heterosexuals, cisgender people, males, Christians, middle or owning class people, middle-aged people, English-speaking people.
“Privilege is characteristically invisible to people who have it,” Golden continued in her email. “People in dominant groups often believe they have earned the privileges they enjoy or that everyone could have access to these privileges if only they worked to earn them. In fact, privileges are unearned and granted to people in the dominant groups whether they want those privileges or not, and regardless of their stated intent.”
The email was shared by X account “End Wokeness,” and was hotly criticized, particularly among conservative social media users, including former President Donald Trump’s son Donald Trump Jr. and X (formerly Twitter) owner Elon Musk.
Golden went on to retract her earlier definition of privilege.
“The newsletter included a definition of the word privilege which, upon reflection, I deeply regret,” Golden wrote in a letter, according to the Daily Mail. “The newsletter intends to inform and support an inclusive community at Hopkins, but the language of this definition did not meet that goal.
The email from Hopkins leaders on Tuesday did not address the privilege controversy. Instead, the leaders expressed their gratitude for Golden and acknowledged some of her achievements and contributions.
As chief diversity officer, Golden advanced diversity, inclusion and health equity initiatives for the medical school and health system; helped implement the JHM Diversity, Inclusion and Health Equity strategic action plan; worked to expand recruitment and retention of a more diverse workforce; and co-launched a mentorship program, among other efforts.
Golden also helped lead Johns Hopkins Medicine’s work in healthy equity and access during the COVID-19 pandemic, ensuring the institution’s response plans, as well as testing, vaccination, and education, addressed the needs of marginalized community members.
Golden will transition to diabetes research as a faculty member.
“We will continue to address health disparities and increase retention and recruitment of diverse talent, all in service of the richly diverse communities we serve,” JHM leaders wrote in their email announcement Tuesday. “Indeed, the diversity of our institution is, and will always be, among our greatest strengths, and directly supports our continued leadership in medicine. This work takes courage, and we are profoundly grateful to Dr. Golden for her grace under pressure, her poise in the face of adversity, and her dedication to the mission and work of [Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Health Equity].”
well lets do a checklist
white
male
xian (not a church goer)
hetero
cisgender
tad over middle age
and obviously english speaking.
ok ms DIE, reconcile my so called ‘privilege’ witht he FACT l grew up in an uninsulated wood frame with no furnace, treated appallingly by my earliest instructors including physical assault for DARING to read ahead in those vomit inducing dick and jane tomes, beaten by siblings, parents, so-called friends, classmates, and strangers.
mocked regularly in high school being the polar opposite of a pretty by l got a face like a mule.
etc etc
so do tell, HOW does *that* translate into any manner of ‘privilege’? hmm? speak up Ms DIE. you got the floor and YOU got lots of PRIVILEGE’
The point being made is about society at large, and in general terms is true. But of course some people are in a terrible position regardless, and it sounds like your life kinda sucks. Abuse knows no bounds. But look at it this way – you have the possibility of getting out of that place and away from those people, which if you were brown would be much harder.
Privilege isn’t an all or nothing concept. For example, I am black, but also a man. So I don’t have racial privilege, but I have male privilege. Privilege also doesn’t mean that everything is easy for those who have it and hard for those who don’t. We all know life is more complicated than that. There are white people that have overall had much harder lives than me. For example, you had white privilege, but you didn’t have financial privilege. Once you understand that privilege is an intersectional concept that includes, socioeconomics, disability, and other characteristics beyond just race, it should be easier to understand.
You don’t understand that we have different social locations. She doesn’t mention class, but wealthy people have a lot of privilege. You were poor and your life must have sucked (same as me). However, you didn’t suffer because you were white (you were not beaten based on this fact, I was). You were not mocked because you were hetero (queer people have been killed for this reason), you were able to move across the city without problems, even though the buildings may not be accessible to people with disabilities, and so forth. One cannot deny the effects of poverty and violence, but by the same token, one cannot deny that you didn’t experience sexism, racism, homophobia, ableism, etc. This would have compounded the violence and abuse.
Her definition of privilege was spot on though.
She didn’t include people put in invented positions for the purpose of political correctness.
Agreed.
💯 but privileged people will be triggered
Exactly.
Only the conservatives are upset? Really? Why should that even be mentioned?Another biased publication
Dr.Golden , why are you apologetic for speaking the truth ? You were fighting a battle with your hands tied behind your back.
Because she will have to pay for it now
Sounds like everything she said was right to me. So sad the truth hurts.
They’re mad because she told the truth and has nothing ro apologize for. Funny how a hit dog always hollers.
I thought the same thing. I read the definition and was confused on the problem?
MLK is turning in his grave….. I believe he mentioned something about one’s “character “? It isn’t one’s outward appearance that life “grants” what some call “privilege “, but it’s mostly one’s CHARACTER- one’s MORAL qualities (or lack thereof) that serve to bestow certain of life’s “privileges”…Teach your children well….
MLK did not mean that race does not matter! Stop basterdizing his words. Conservatives always try to turn our words against us. The Dr’s definition was not wokeness it was based on the lived experiences of those who are privileged- many who do not want to acknowledge their privilege.
Her definition of privilege was spot on. There is a backlash against DEI just like there was a backlash against Reconstruction,Civil Rights, and BLM.
These are the XXI century Gral Lee statues.
She was absolutely 💯 % correct!!!
Agree
Thank you!
Truth. It is obvious for those with eyes to see.
She felt the need to step down because conservatives were offended by a definition.
This is ridiculous.
I’m saddened JH didn’t stand up for her.
Because JH have to stand up for the conservatives, for funding.
I bet she has had threats on her life. Why are people always dishonest in how they want to pull peoples words out of context??? Always pulling that content of character section out of MLK’s speech. What about the rest of it?? I think someones “character” is lacking if they are offended by the truth.
I have long been aware of what is counted as “privilege’ but “owning class”? Last I checked, most people have worked hard and earned what they own. If anyone is privileged, it is Ms Golden for being given a cushy invented position. at an exclusive institution where she can pass judgement on her fellow humans.
That’s Doctor Golden to you, april smith! Yep I’m sure someone gave her that medical degree. You are obviously in that privilege class since you don not see the need for Diversity & Inclusion.
Go April! So true. Ms. Golden feels she can attack Christians because she is black and highly privileged. There are black christians who worked very hard and have never used their color to judge and harass others! So tired of these black folks that use their black privilege and make all of us look arrogant and mean-spirited!
💯 DEI is about vengeance, not justice.
Of all people to reject the concept of privilege, a Trump son illustrates the basic definition best.
I commend her audacious effort to share information regarding DEI in a climate when people are being chastised for doing so. The USA has never been a nation where one rises to the top based on meritocracy alone. If hard work was the means to success, 250 years of enslavement would have placed Blacks at the pinnacle of success. White privilege does not mean whites were free from hard work; it DOES mean they did not have to clear the formidable hurdle of racism/ white supremacy.
To your journey!
❤️🖤💚🇦🇪
DR GOLDEN didn’t write or publish the definition of privilege. This is the academic definition that is used in DEI and ALL institutions. This specifically said “diversity word of the month” in the publication that was sent out INTERNALLY. The racists within Hopkins sent it to their racist peers outside of Hopkins to post on Twitter. Hopkins leadership then decided to throw her under the bus instead of just saying this is an actual definition. It’s easier to violate and disrespect a black woman than it is to hurt racist white people by just telling them the truth. What they did was disgusting and actually goes against the legacy of Mr Johns Hopkins, whose gift of $7 million built that place. The halls of Hopkins drip of its racist history and they’re doing nothing to clean up their legacy.
Exactly!
I don’t agree with her. However, as a defender of the First Amendment, I defend her right to voice her opinion without retaliation. She should not be forced to resign because people disagree with her. This is cancel culture and exactly what the Bolsheviks did during the bloody 1917 revolution. It has to stop.
Message here. Don’t offend softies /marshmallows.
Exactly!
People can’t handle the truth. Dr. Golden is right. Keep fighting the good fight.
Sounds like truth spoken and the “powers that be” did not like.
A privileged Dr. calling other groups privileged. That is DEI in a nutshell.
Only the privileged that like to pretend they don’t have privilege are offended.
I was a test case for integration. One day I was snatched out of my class and inserted into a class of strangers. That’s when I saw and learned about privilege. Unless John Hopkins’ August Body define privilege or defend what it is then they should be stripped of their education certs. This is the definition. The term “privilege” refers to a set of unearned benefits, advantages, or rights that a person or group has due to their social status, which is often linked to characteristics such as race, gender, class, sexual orientation, religion, ability, or citizenship status, among others. These benefits can be material, such as access to better educational opportunities or healthcare, or they can be more intangible, such as the presumption of innocence or competence.
Privilege is not about individual actions or merits but rather about systemic biases and the way societies are structured. People with privilege often experience the world in a more favorable way compared to those without such privilege, even if they are not consciously aware of it. The concept is important in discussions about social inequality, justice, and discrimination, as it highlights the ways in which some groups of people can navigate through society with fewer barriers than others.
Understanding privilege is crucial for recognizing the disparities that exist within social systems and for working towards a more equitable society. It is also important for those with privilege to be aware of it, as this awareness can lead to more empathetic perspectives and actions that contribute to reducing inequality.
Thank you for elaborating the truth, Nirvik.
Her definition is highly flawed. How can she tell a poor white straight man they are more privileged than her. She falls into several of the categories lacking privilege. But yet she is a Dr and professor and had this fancy job. How can the messenger really connect to people telling them this?
I don’t see where anything she said was wrong or untrue.
Sounds like people got butt hurt because it hits too close to home.
There is privilege going in all directions, waxing and waning depending on time and situation. Similarly there is disadvantage dependent on other contexts. In one context or another everyone enjoys privilege an advantage, and in others everyone experiences the sting of being in the out group. This can’t be denied.
If you look closely, you’ll see there has never been a society or a time in which there was complete parity, and how could there be and why would that utopia be expected?
IOW, the discussion of privilege is at best a truism, and at worse a tortured tautology twisted into a tinder hooks and tomahawks; a banal observation masquerading as a profound revelation. It’s yielding disastrous consequences for U.S. society, but really is a vapid and devious line of reasoning. Yawn.