# HMS and the Legacies of Slavery and Racism #### calendar\_today Date and Time **October 22, 2025** 04:00PM - 05:30PM EDT #### pin\_drop Location **Waterhouse Room, Gordon Hall** [25 Shattuck Street Boston, MA 02115 United States ]() [ Register arrow\_circle\_right ](https://hms.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6zNAsfNr11GbDgy) The Report of the Presidential Committee on Harvard & the Legacy of Slavery begins: “Harvard’s motto, Veritas, inscribed on gates, doorways, and sculptures all over campus, demands of us truth.” As an institution, and working with experts in the field, we have embarked on examining the direct entanglements of the origins and early decades of HMS with the institution of slavery, and the role of HMS faculty in promoting racial categories and hierarchies at key moments in the school’s (and American medicine’s) evolution in the 19th century. This event relates some of our key findings to date. As we consider the remarkable history of our school, it is incumbent on us to reflect on the degree to which during its earliest formation and history, HMS was entangled with the larger system of slavery, and the formation of scientific racism, in this country. This is far from the only history that can or should be told of HMS; but it is one with its own implications for how we consider our school’s past, present, and future. Participants: Sara Bleich, Dominic Hall, Evelynn Hammonds, Meghan Kerr, Scott Podolsky, Joan Reede, Kaitlin Smith, John Harley Warner, Christopher Willoughby \*Note that a valid Harvard University ID will be required to attend this event. ![Decorative](/sites/g/files/omnuum11411/files/styles/hwp_1_1__960x960_scale/public/2025-10/Screenshot%202025-10-09%20at%202.32.56%20PM.png?itok=yZEBOp8Q) --- Attachments- [ picture\_as\_pdf HMS & the Legacies of Slavery and Racism - October 22, 2025\_0.pdf ](/sites/g/files/omnuum11411/files/2025-10/HMS%20%26%20the%20Legacies%20of%20Slavery%20and%20Racism%20-%20October%2022%2C%202025_0.pdf) --- See also:- [ OCCE Event ](/event-categories/occe-event) Share on:- [ Facebook ](#) - [ Twitter ](#) - [ Linkedin ](#) Save: [ Add to calendar calendar\_today ](https://occe.hms.harvard.edu/node/361/event-feed.ics) Copy link link