As students of color at Johns Hopkins University, we have been deeply affected by the institution's disavowal of Dr. Golden. This act has not only harmed our health but also threatened our sense of safety and ability to learn and thrive within this institution. We can no longer count on this institution to uphold its own values.

We are calling on Hopkins leadership to be accountable for their actions as it pertains to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). The lack of support for DEI initiatives is not just an issue affecting us personally; it is a systemic problem that undermines the university's mission and values.

To rectify these matters, we request the following:

1. We call for the leadership of our institution to act with haste and retract these statements of Dean DeWeese and President Sowers immediately, with special recognition of the harm done to Dr. Golden and Hopkins’ BIPOC students, faculty, and staff, as a result of their publication.  
2. We call on our leadership at Johns Hopkins University to break their silence and reaffirm our institutions' commitment to DEI with the same fervent devotion as all of its stated values. 
3. We urge the leadership at Johns Hopkins University & Medicine to rectify the injustices that have occurred and emphasize the importance of publicly supporting BIPOC students, and role models like Dr. Golden who champion diversity, inclusion, and health equity. 
4. We call for the release of the long awaited findings from the Assessment of Climate for Learning, Living, and Working at JHU undertaken by the university community last Spring and timely actions to address the findings.
5. We call on our leadership to ensure that the search for Dr. Golden’s replacement is equitable and transparent so that her replacement continues to champion the diversity, inclusion, and health equity work that they are called to do.

We demand immediate action from Johns Hopkins University & Medicine. We urge them not only to respond but also take concrete steps towards promoting diversity, equity inclusion within its campus community. 

Please sign this petition if you believe in equality in education and stand with us against institutional neglect towards DEI commitments at Johns Hopkins University.

Read our complete open letter to the JHU Leadership sent on March 21, 2024 below or via this link.

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ATTN:

Ronald J. Daniels, JD, LLM, President, Johns Hopkins University

Theodore L. DeWeese, MD, Dean of the Medical Faculty; CEO, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Kevin W. Sowers, MSN, RN, FAAN, President, Johns Hopkins Health System; Executive Vice President, Johns Hopkins Medicine

 

We, the leadership of the Black Graduate Student Association (BGSA) at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, in solidarity with fellow organizations across Johns Hopkins University, Johns Hopkins Medical Institute, and the Johns Hopkins Health System, are writing to express our extreme sadness, frustration, and concern about the recent events surrounding the January diversity digest “privilege statement” sent out by Dr. Sherita Hill Golden’s office.

The news of Dr. Golden's resignation from her role as the Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer in the Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Health Equity for Johns Hopkins Medicine, including Johns Hopkins’ decision to not support Dr. Golden and disavowing her statement entirely, has reverberated negatively through our ranks and membership, and other resource and affinity groups since January.

Dr. Golden has not only met but epitomized the university's goals, serving as a shining example of excellence in academia. She has contributed enormously to this institution through her tireless research across several decades, encompassing over 200 articles across the fields of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, endocrinology, and health disparities. Concurrently, as Dean DeWeese and President Sowers themselves admit, Dr. Golden’s diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) work has been instrumental in efforts to both recruit and retain talented individuals of all backgrounds to Johns Hopkins, while supporting mentorship and employee support programming which have served to uplift diverse and talented individuals within the Johns Hopkins Health System and the School of Medicine. Dr. Golden’s work has enhanced the health and well-being of Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) members, and as a result, she stands as an exemplar of what it means to be a role model to her students and peers alike. 

Yet despite her accomplishments and being a trailblazer within her field, Johns Hopkins has sent us all a clear and poignant message. This institution is willing to sacrifice its commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, as well as the protection of BIPOC students, for the comfort of those that perpetuate the structural and institutional racism this institution was built upon, based on the 2020 Hard Histories at Hopkins Project.

These were the words uttered by Dean DeWeese and President Sowers on January 13, 2024 following Dr. Golden’s retraction on January 11, 2024: “Regrettably, the January edition of this newsletter, which was distributed to all Johns Hopkins Medicine employees yesterday, included a definition of privilege that runs counter to the values of our institution, and our mission and commitment to serve everyone equally.” On January 18, 2024, an open Letter in Support of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Discourse at Johns Hopkins Medicine created by the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine Student National Medical Association (JHUSOM SNMA), demanded justifications for the redaction and for there to be no repercussions to her DEI role within the institution as a result. 

On January 30, 2024, Dean DeWeese and President Sowers held a closed meeting with minority serving student group leaders to address concerns on the request Hopkins made to Dr. Golden to retract her statement outlined in the January 18th open letter. During that meeting both leaders said in essence, “while we acknowledge that privilege for certain groups exists, we do not approve Dr. Golden's specific definition of privilege.” Students at the meeting repeatedly requested that Dean DeWeese and President Sowers clarify their definition of privilege and reaffirm their continued support for Dr. Golden in a public statement as soon as possible, because Dr. Golden was in danger with the overwhelming death threats and numerous vitriolic hate mail she’d been receiving. Dean DeWeese and President Sowers closed the meeting by ensuring that they heard the concerns of students of color and would work towards something to support Dr. Golden and DEI students at Hopkins. However, neither Dean DeWeese nor President Sowers followed up with any of the minority serving student group leaders, nor have they released any statement of their new definition of privilege or of their public support of Dr. Golden.

Another open letter from Hopkins employees and students with over 700 signatures today, remarked that Dr. Golden’s definition was not only factual but “widely accepted by academic institutions and aligns with leading research”. Yet, Dean DeWeese and President Sowers’ response to these open letters on March 5, 2024 only highlighted that there was no intention of taking accountability for the wrongs that were done. On March 6, 2024, the Black Faculty and Staff Association (BFSA) at Johns Hopkins University & Medicine sent yet another open letter to President Daniels, Dean DeWeese, and President Sowers, once again urging for responsibility and accountability from our leadership in matters relating to DEI. 

Johns Hopkins is a premiere institution for Public Health and Medical studies, yet Hopkins Leadership’s actions, and inaction, surrounding Dr. Golden are bewildering, hypocritical, and contradictory to:

• The School of Medicine’s Mission and Objectives, i.e., to “Identify and respond equitably to the social, behavioral, economic and structural factors that influence health, disease, health care, and biomedical science.”  
• The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health’s Mission, Vision, and Values, of “valuing social justice and health equity,”

Diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts are meant to alleviate the long lasting, negative intergenerational impacts of historical discrimination and racism, which continually affect the health and well-being of BIPOC populations. Johns Hopkins, a leader in medicine and public health education, had the unique privilege of clarifying this information on a global scale when the attacks on Dr. Golden were being made by popular far-right personalities. However, this opportunity was squandered and utilized to disparage the reputation of a prominent DEI leader.

The disavowal of Dr. Golden's work is clearly and entirely counter to our educational mission. It undermines the core principles of learning, critical inquiry, and social responsibility that are fundamental to our academic community. The Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH), upon which Johns Hopkins depends for the accreditation of its esteemed public health program requires that a well-trained student body is equipped to “discuss the means by which structural bias, social inequities and racism undermine health and create challenges to achieving health equity at organizational, community, and systemic levels.” While the CEPH has made significant strides to integrate DEI in the accreditation process, Johns Hopkins appears to be moving counter to these standards. The actions of the institution, without question, raise concern about the integrity of our educational programs. As students, we are deeply concerned about what this now means to hold a degree from this institution. 

In the past, we held the Johns Hopkins University in high esteem in standing up for what is right and despite adversity, such as in the University’s response to the Affirmative Action ruling less than a year ago. A response meant to reassure us of “JHU's unwavering commitment to diversity and the promise of equal opportunity.” With Dr. Golden, however, we now see that this commitment was always conditional. Rather than leaning into discomfort and seizing the January events as an opportunity to engage in enlightening discussions on a global scale, the Johns Hopkins Medical Institute retreated under the pressure of closed-minded opposition. This opposition is meant to silence and intimidate us away from meaningful dialogue and away from social justice. Even as Dr. Golden shouldered all manners of harassment, including death threats, they chose to remain silent. If this is what the institution now represents, we cannot in good conscience recommend this institution to those who come after us.

To rectify these matters, we request the following:

1. We call for the leadership of our institution to act with haste and retract these statements of Dean DeWeese and President Sowers immediately, with special recognition of the harm done to Dr. Golden and Hopkins’ BIPOC students, faculty, and staff, as a result of their publication.  
2. We call on our leadership at Johns Hopkins University to break their silence and reaffirm our institutions' commitment to DEI with the same fervent devotion as all of its stated values. 
3. We urge the leadership at Johns Hopkins University & Medicine to rectify the injustices that have occurred and emphasize the importance of publicly supporting BIPOC students, and role models like Dr. Golden who champion diversity, inclusion, and health equity. 
4. We call for the release of the long awaited findings from the Assessment of Climate for Learning, Living, and Working at JHU undertaken by the university community last Spring and timely actions to address the findings.
5. We call on our leadership to ensure that the search for Dr. Golden’s replacement is equitable and transparent so that her replacement continues to champion the diversity, inclusion, and health equity work that it is called to do.

Today the challenges we face as future health leaders are endless. Nevertheless, we, the students, leaders of today and tomorrow, are deeply invested in this work, and similarly expect our institution to be an example of what it is like to stand up in the face of opposition while upholding its true values, not to cave against adversity, and to be fearless in the fight toward a just and equitable future!  

We look forward to your response and prompt attention to this pressing matter,

Signed in Solidarity,

Black Graduate Student Association (BGSA) at the Bloomberg School of Public Health

Black Faculty and Staff Association (BFSA) at Johns Hopkins

Black Student Nurses Association (BSNA)

Biomedical Scholars Association (BSA)

Anna Baetjer Society (ABS) for Public Health Practice

Bloomberg School of Public Health Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP)

African Public Health Network (APHN)

Latino Public Health Network (LPHN)

LatinX Health Advocacy Group (LHAG)

School of Nursing PhD Student Organization (PSO)

Johns Hopkins Nurses’ Alumni Association (JHNAA)

Asian Pacific American Nursing Student Association (APANSA)