Seattle Children’s Hospital is facing criticism after leaked training materials revealed that doctors were segregated by race during mandatory training sessions. The training, conducted in August 2022, was required for all employees in the hospital’s gastroenterology department and divided staff into three racial groups: White, Black, and “non-Black people of color (POC).”
According to the Washington Free Beacon, the hospital justified the segregation as a means to “minimize harm to our Black learners and facilitator.” The training involved a “racial identity development exercise” led by diversity consultants, including Robin DiAngelo, author of the anti-White book White Fragility. During these sessions, participants were encouraged to engage in race-conscious activities and reflect on their racial identities.
For example, Black participants were asked how they combat internalized anti-Black messages, while non-Black POC participants were told that Black people would always be more susceptible to structural racism than other non-Black people of color. White doctors were required to “divest” from their “Whiteness,” reflect on “repressed racial memories,” and practice racial storytelling with other White individuals.
The training was conducted over four workshops and was led by Roberto Montenegro, a child psychiatrist at Seattle Children’s Hospital. Montenegro’s biography highlights his use of a “social justice lens” in his practice. Other facilitators included Ashley Jarrett, a learning consultant at the hospital, and April Baker-Bell, a diversity trainer hired externally.
Stanley Goldfarb, founder of the organization Do No Harm, condemned the training, calling it “ideological indoctrination” with no evidence of improving healthcare outcomes. Goldfarb argued that such training could polarize both patients and healthcare providers, ultimately undermining the trust patients place in medical institutions.
The revelation has sparked controversy and is the latest instance of Critical Race Theory (CRT) and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives being implemented in institutions across the United States. Critics of these programs argue that they inject racial biases into fields that should remain neutral, such as medicine, potentially compromising the commitment to the Hippocratic Oath and equal treatment for all patients.
Seattle Children’s Hospital has yet to issue a public response to the leaked materials, but the incident has intensified the ongoing debate over the role of CRT and DEI in the workplace, particularly in critical sectors like healthcare.
