'Duke Health has really compromised merit-based medicine for anti-racism,' Kenny Xu says
Doctor who says Duke Health fired him for criticizing ‘pledge to left-wing ideology’ speaks out
Emergency room physician says he was fired from Duke University’s health system after speaking out against its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) push.
Color Us United launched a petition urging Americans to take a stand against Duke University’s "unscientific, unethical racial agenda" that is part of the prestigious institution’s diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) push in its health system.
Dr. Kendall Conger, a prominent emergency room physician, was terminated from Duke University’s health system last month after speaking out against the institution’s pledge against racism, which he publicly disagreed with. Conger went public when Duke Health called racism a "public health crisis," and declared it was dedicated "to overcoming the painful separations that divide us."
Duke Health’s actions caught the attention of Color Us United, an organization "created to speak out against those who want to divide America," and advocates for a race-blind society.
"We have seen Duke's disturbing developments regarding their DEI programs happen for a while, so we have been monitoring Duke Health ever since... we started our UNC health campaign, which led to the successful outcome of UNC renouncing their DEI framework," Color Us United president Kenny Xu told Fox News Digital.
DOCTOR WHO SAYS DUKE UNIVERSITY FIRED HIM FOR CRITICIZING ‘PLEDGE TO LEFT-WING IDEOLOGY’ SPEAKS OUT
Color Us United president Kenny Xu.
Indeed, the University of North Carolina repealed DEI mandates earlier this year following a Color Us United petition.
"We've been following Duke, it's right next door," Xu said. "And Kendall Conger’s story is just one of the most brazen pieces of evidence to show that Duke Health has really compromised merit-based medicine for anti-racism."
Color Us United’s website details what Xu called "disturbing developments" happening at Duke.
Xu said doctors have been assigned mandatory anti-racism training classes that say White males are "agents of oppression," and diversity is "explicitly prioritized in hiring even if it comes at the expense of merit."
"Duke Health also had a surgeon that said he was proud that Duke only served mostly non-White patients, as if he had a prejudice against serving White people," Xu said.
"If you're a doctor, you should not have a prejudice against serving anybody. So, we saw this as dangerously unscientific and unethical and unjust," he continued. "We decided that Color Us United's next campaign was going to be to get Duke Health to renounce its anti-racism program."
DUKE MEDICAL SCHOOL CLAIMS 'TIMELINESS,' 'INDIVIDUALISM' IS PART OF 'WHITE SUPREMACY CULTURE'
Dr. Kendall Conger spoke out against Duke Health’s pledge.
Color Us United’s website states: "Duke University Health System has deemed racism a ‘public health crisis’ despite having no legitimate clinical data with which to substantiate such a dark and disturbing claim. Duke Health is a major health care provider in America’s ninth largest state and oversees a prestigious medical school that trains the next generation of doctors. Duke has boldly integrated its divisive political ideology into hiring and training, and may potentially be compromising patient care. Duke has offered no scientific explanation as to why their focus on race is medically beneficial or ethical, and even fired a doctor who questioned the legitimacy of Duke Health’s views and actions."
The petition urges Duke to "remove the unscientific and divisive race based ideologies, training, rhetoric, and hiring practices." It also calls for Duke to renounce the antiracism pledge, and other "inappropriate practices and ideologies."
Xu said Conger being rehired by Duke would be a step in the right direction.
"We also want Duke to explicitly say that their DEI programs are not based in scientific evidence," he said.
Xu said Duke has failed to "come up with any legitimate clinical scientific evidence to defend its anti-racism program, to defend teaching doctors that Whites are agents of oppression, or to defend the whole implicit bias philosophy that said that their doctors were implicitly racist."
"If you don't have the evidence, you should let it go. At this point, this becomes not just a question of persuasion, but a question of science. I think that if Duke stuck to the science, they would renounce its anti-racism program," Xu said.
Color Us United is seeking 10,000 signatures on the petition. Anyone who signs can remain confidential, and Xu is also reaching out to powerful people in the community.
"We are reaching out to the board of trustees at Duke, and the major donors at Duke right now, saying, ‘We need you to renounce this program and actually stand with the science,’" Xu said.
Duke Health did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Brian Flood is a media editor/reporter for FOX News Digital. Story tips can be sent to
