Counterpoint from Rachel Hardeman: My departure from the U isn’t tied to plagiarism allegation

Minnesota Star Tribune opinion editor’s note: Rachel Hardeman is a public health policy professor who gained national renown for her studies of the health effects of structural racism, specifically on maternal health. Her pending departure this month from the University of Minnesota was reported in “U’s Hardeman resigns amid plagiarism furor,” published in mid-April. She spoke to the Star Tribune as part of that coverage and offers further response here.

•••

Over the past several weeks, I have endured a deeply painful and public series of attacks — and with them, a troubling willingness to weaponize the very principles I’ve spent my career advancing: racial justice, truth-telling and the belief that love can be a force for liberation. My work is guided by a simple but profound truth: Mothers are the cornerstone of our communities, and every baby deserves the chance not just to survive, but to thrive. I’m speaking now — plainly, and with integrity and love — because the record must be set straight.

I made the decision to depart from the University of Minnesota more than a year ago. My decision began to take root during my sabbatical in January 2024, a season that gave way to deep reflection and the realization that my journey at the University of Minnesota was reaching its natural conclusion. I shared this intention with some and it was alluded to in a January 2024 STAT News article. In April 2024, I began exploring my options for separation; by fall 2024, I formally initiated discussions with the university. A separation agreement was finalized on March 12. As part of that agreement, the university committed to issuing a public announcement on April 14.

Let me be clear: I did not make this decision lightly. But after eight years of rigorous scholarship, mentorship and institution-building, I knew I had outgrown my role. I had led pioneering work in antiracism research, secured more than $13 million in competitive grants and philanthropic funding, and founded the Center for Antiracism Research for Health Equity. I published more than 100 peer-reviewed manuscripts — more than half co-authored with students or trainees — and shaped national discourse on the measurement of structural racism in health care.

My work has always been anchored in love — for the work, for my family and for my community, including the university. That love is what drove me to work so hard to advance our shared mission. I was ready to celebrate my achievements and step into the future of reproductive health justice and equity for Black mothers, in new spaces and with new faces. That mission remains my compass.

So, when I read local media headlines suggesting my planned departure was somehow connected to this long-resolved matter, I felt that familiar sting that many of us know too well — the weight of mischaracterization.

The Minnesota Star Tribune and Minnesota Public Radio had these facts, yet conflated two unrelated issues and relied on unverified social media claims to shape their coverage of my departure from the university — abandoning fundamental journalistic principles like independent investigation and fact-checking.

Reframing this resolved matter as scandal and stripping it of all facts is disingenuous. And it’s yet another example of how deeply vulnerable Black women leaders are to distortion, dehumanization and erasure — even when we operate in good faith.

I am deeply proud of what I’ve built at the University of Minnesota. I am more committed than ever to the work ahead. The work must continue — rooted in love, led by truth and guided by a radical imagination for what is possible. I am building something new — grounded in evidence, driven by imagination and centered in love for Black mothers and their families. I am collaborating across disciplines and geographies to create research, tools and spaces that don’t just study inequity — but actively interrupt it. I dream alongside others who believe that another way is possible. I dream for the people who will live longer, better lives because of our mission. It is with these dreams that I move forward.