A 2021 strategic plan by the Duke University School of Medicine links various elements, such as expecting people of color to be on time, with white supremacy culture and has a stated goal of increasing the overall percentage of "Black, Hispanic, Indigenous, and People of Color among our faculty, senior staff, and learners."
The stated goal could be in violation of the 2023 Supreme Court ruling in Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. University of North Carolina and President & Fellows of Harvard College. The 6-3 ruling by the high court severely limited, if not effectively ended, the use of affirmative action in college admissions.
The strategic plan titled "Dismantling Racism and Advancing Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in the School of Medicine" seeks to "catalyze anti-racist practice through education," the New York Post reported Tuesday. The guide called out what it considered "white supremacy culture," which it defines as the ideology that "white people and the ideas, thoughts, beliefs, and actions of white people are superior to People of Color and their ideas, thoughts, beliefs, and actions."
"In the workplace, white supremacy culture explicitly and implicitly privileges whiteness and discriminates against non-Western and non-white professionalism standards related to dress code, speech, work style, and timeliness," the plan stated. "Some identifiable characteristics of this culture includes perfectionism, belief that there's only one right way, power hoarding, individualism, sense of urgency, and defensiveness."
The strategic plan stated a goal of enhancing "racial diversity and equity, inclusion and respect for all of our constituents" by increasing in number and overall percentage of "Black, Hispanic, Indigenous, and People of Color among our faculty, senior staff, and learners," as well as "assess trends in candidate pools, new recruits, or admissions; retention, promotions; tenure; and departures, where relevant."
In his majority opinion in the Students for Fair Admissions decision, Chief Justice John Roberts wrote college admissions programs can consider race merely to allow an applicant to explain how their race influenced their character in a way that would have a concrete effect on the university. But a student "must be treated based on his or her experiences as an individual – not on the basis of race."
It is not known if the School of Medicine is still following the strategic plan in the wake of the Supreme Court decision.
But on its website, it states, "At the Duke University School of Medicine, we believe that equity, diversity, and inclusion are core elements of institutional excellence. We are committed to developing and implementing a culture of inclusion in which faculty, staff, and students from underrepresented backgrounds experience a genuine sense of value, empowerment, and belonging."
Newsmax reached out to Duke School of Medicine for comment.
Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
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