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The 2022 Wilder Symposium, “Racism, Health, and Accountability” will be held in person, Monday, Sept. 19 from 6-7:30 p.m. at the VCU W.E. Singleton Center for the Performing Arts located on campus at 922 Park Avenue. There is a pre-event reception from 5-6 p.m. This event is open to the public and there is no cost to attend. No RSVP is needed for in-person attendance. The year was 1968. At the Medical College of Virginia, (today a part of Virginia Commonwealth University) Bruce Tucker, a Black man, had his heart transplanted — without his family’s consent — into a white businessman. Tucker’s family sought legal justice and the attorney who represented them was L. Douglas Wilder, who went on to become the first elected African-American governor in the United States. The case exemplified a journey to fight racism and demand accountability for a gross violation of human rights. As the signature speaker, Governor L. Douglas Wilder will discuss the complex ethical issues exposed during the case, as well as examine its lasting historic impact today. Wilder will trace the role of institutionalized racism to the ongoing battle for healthcare equity and access. Governor Wilder will field questions from moderator Wilder School Dean Susan Gooden and audience members. Hosted by the Wilder School and University College, this symposium is part of a larger series based on the 2022-2023 VCU Common Book, "The Organ Thieves: The Shocking Story of the First Heart Transplant in the Segregated South" by Chip Jones. The book follows a long legacy of inhumane treatment of African Americans for unethical medical advancement in the segregated south. The award-winning book will be read by first-year VCU students and will be a focus area for events across campus this fall. For additional information and sponsorship opportunities, please visit bit.ly/2022ws.