Events

In August 2020, Columbia University announced the removal of Samuel Bard's name from the CUIMC residence hall at 50 Haven Avenue. Bard was a prominent physician in America in the 18th century, who had served as George Washington's doctor, and helped found New York Hospital and Columbia's first medical school. But he also was an enslaver who claimed ownership in at least a dozen people over the course of his life. In this talk, researchers from the Columbia University and Slavery Project will share some of their recent discoveries about Samuel Bard, and the Bard family, and will discuss other findings from their ongoing research into the historical connections between Columbia University and legacies of racism and enslavement.