Archival Documents Bring Light to Historical African American Legal Triumphs

A sheet of paper at Columbia’s Rare Book and Manuscript Library shows how a Black woman sought—and won—justice in 1791 America. This story originally appeared on Columbia News on September 16, 2021.  […]

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Remembering “Our Mayor”: David N. Dinkins and Columbia University Libraries

David N. Dinkins, New York City’s first, and only, African American mayor died on November 23, at the age of 93. Dinkins, whose term as mayor lasted from 1990 to 1993, had been a member of the Columbia University community for more than a quarter of a century, serving since 1994 as professor at the […]

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Researching Poor Children and Society: The New York Juvenile Asylum Records

Catherine Carson Ricciardi Archivist Since the New York Juvenile Asylum (NYJA) records were processed two years ago, the RBML has received many inquiries.  In handling these queries, I’ve become quite familiar with this collection and its wealth of information. While many inquiries come from genealogists, the records also provide primary source material for historians interested […]

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