Just a couple of weeks removed from a letter saying they were dedicated to addressing issues of systemic racism “deeply imbedded in law enforcement and health care systems, including ours,” Hennepin Healthcare is again under fire as photos of employees dressed up in blackface have appeared.
In the photo was taken at a work party and includes three employees of Hennepin Health dressed as The Supremes, the 1960’s female, African-American pop group, with their faces painted black. The photo was emailed to leadership at Hennepin Healthcare according to the Star Tribune. The image also appeared on social media but have since appear to have been taken down.
Editor’s Note: WCCO will not be publishing the photos to this website, however they can be seen here.
In a statement released Wednesday evening, Hennepin Healthcare says they are unable to comment on specifics, but they take this issue seriously.
"We are aware of the existence of Blackface photos, but due to an ongoing review we are not able to comment on the specifics. Let us be clear that we take this very seriously and our next steps will be determined by any findings. We acknowledge the harm and apologize for the impact to our community and our teams. We regret our role in causing further pain for those we serve and for those who serve."
WCCO’s Susie Jones spoke to Civil Rights advocate and local attorney Nekima Levy-Armstrong who says all three should be fired by Hennepin Healthcare.
“The clientele of Hennepin Healthcare is one of the most diverse in the state of Minnesota,” Levy-Armstrong says. And the issues that we have experienced from a racial justice perspective demonstrate a lack of respect for the diverse clientele that the hospital serves. I believe that those who are seen in the photographs need to be fired immediately.”
She says the incident is particularly upsetting since Hennepin Healthcare just expressed concern over systemic racism.
“We have felt that responses from the leadership of Hennepin Healthcare to claims of racism, claims of abuse of patients, especially with regard to the ketamine scandal involving the Minneapolis Police Department, shows that they're not serious about addressing matters of racial insensitivity, racism, and white supremacy that are pervasive within the Hennepin Healthcare system.”
The letter written by Hennepin Healthcare Leadership on February 13, says that they recognize issues internally had a negative effect on the Twin Cities community.
“We worked hard on listening to the community, on acknowledging the pain caused, especially on Black and brown communities, and on making it clear to our internal teams that Hennepin Healthcare does not support the direction reflected in this training. We are disappointed that this training, and our internal vetting mechanisms, do not appear to reflect this commitment. This was a breakdown in our oversight. We thought we had alignment and we clearly did not.”
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