A Maine hospital executive involved in diversity, equity and inclusion hosted an antiracist prayer service that had a group of White people apologize for their internalized racism as White people, according to a video reviewed by Fox News Digital.
Ryan Polly is a vice president of DEI at MaineHealth, a hospital system of over 20,000 employees. He has said the hospitals cater to overwhelmingly White patients, which is reflected by local demographics.
Polly refers to himself as a "minister" of a group called One Spirit. According to a video reviewed by Fox News Digital, which has since been scrubbed, Polly is shown teaching attendees how to be practitioners of antiracism through a prayer that he dedicated to "loving spirits who are known by many names."
The DEI leader's ideology is steeped in critical race theory. He said during the prayer services that he himself maintains "racist narratives and biases," and attributed those to his skin color.
"Only then can we become equipped to… challenge the systems that have been designed to give us the advantage and oppress everyone else," he said about becoming an antiracist practitioner.
"As the head of diversity, equity and inclusion at a major health system, I think frequently about my role as White person first and as a diversity leader second. I think about the responsibility I have to continue the deep internal work of… understanding my own racist narrative and biases," Polly said. "I think about the privilege my Whiteness affords me and the choices Whiteness allows me to have… My Whiteness keeps me and my family safe."
MaineHealth defended Polly, stating, "Our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion stems from our organizational values, mission and vision. This work strengthens our connections with patients and ultimately helps us to deliver higher-quality care. Consistent with our value of Respect and our role as an institution of learning, we welcome and encourage divergent viewpoints and dialogue among our patients and care team."
However, Polly's views on DEI contain outright stereotyping of people on the basis of being White, claiming that they are conditioned to be racist and oppressive.
For example, Polly said that White people acquire "ignorance," "biases" and "racist thoughts" on the basis of their belonging to a "life of Whiteness."
"This evening has been designed with White people in mind not to take the stage. We have plenty of places to take the stage," he said, starting off the prayer. "We [need] to… begin the work to join the fight… We need to ensure we… do the work to challenge our ignorance, our biases and the racist thoughts that we've acquired through the life of Whiteness."
In a portion of the prayer focused on "dismantling the system," Polly encouraged the White people attending to feel uncomfortable with the messages.
"Let us develop the courage to dive [into] deeply experienced discomfort. Let's sit with it... knowing that the answers come not from our own conscious thinking because that thinking is shaped by racist constructs. The answers lie deeper," he said. "Let us leave with the tenacity to become anti-racist and continue the fight, even on the days when we could simply choose not to. Amen."
The hospital executive has referred to himself as "slightly unhinged" in song lyrics posted to his YouTube channel, which has since been deleted after a comment request was sent. Polly's antiracist prayer service was also made private after the query to MaineHealth.
"It certainly explains a lot about why Polly has relentlessly pushed a DEI agenda at MaineHealth for the past two and a half years," a source at MaineHealth told Fox News. The insider called for MaineHealth to immediately remove Polly, "and get back to the business of taking care of patients."
"Left unchecked, this dangerous messaging will lead to even more division and distrust," the source said.
After the prayer, Polly said that White people were somehow connected to people, such as police, who have shot and killed Black people.
"I am White… You share something with Darren Wilson [who shot Michael Brown] and George Zimmerman [who shot Trayvon Martin]. We share the experience of living in a culture that tells us that our lives have more value just because we're White," said Polly.
"I choose to consider these collective wounds as implicating all of us. And that their healing requires my participation because I am White," Polly added.
Dr. Stanley Goldfarb of Do No Harm, a medical group seeking to restore the medical field to its founding ideals, previously said Polly continues to be "demeaning [of] himself and his institution."
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