The David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA is facing backlash after a mandatory class on “structural racism” took a controversial turn. The class, part of the HEALS curriculum focusing on “Structural Racism and Health Equity,” featured a speaker who led a prayer to Mother Earth, which left some attendees feeling uncomfortable.
According to the UCLA Jewish Faculty Resilience Group, the speaker instructed students to touch the floor and make a non-secular prayer to “mama earth” and their ancestors. The class ended with another prayer to a pagan deity, asking students to stand up and participate. Some students declined to participate, feeling unsettled by the experience.
One witness, who spoke to Fox News Digital anonymously, described feeling offended and disgusted by the idolatry during the class. The witness, who has monotheistic religious beliefs, found the presentation to pagan gods to be disturbing and out of place.
The incident has sparked calls for an external review of the curriculum to address concerns of political indoctrination. Elan Carr, former Special Envoy for Monitoring and Combating Antisemitism, criticized the class as indoctrination and raised concerns about the pro-Palestinian element of the presentation.
UCLA has not yet responded to requests for comment on the matter. The controversy highlights the challenges universities face in navigating issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion in their curriculum.
