Harvard refused to reconsider Agassiz’s narrative despite Lanier’s documented descendant claim.

Evidence

I was stunned by her evasive response. This was a moment for Drew Faust, the first female president of Harvard University, to stand on principle, to live up to its motto: Veritas. To tell the truth. Instead, her response felt disconnected from the humanity of my request. That upset me the most: regardless of my personal connection to the subjects of these photos, Harvard did not seem interested in rewriting the story, that Louis Agassiz was a renowned scientist who used Renty and Delia to prove white supremacy, and Black inferiority. Faust’s response strengthened my resolve: using Renty, a literate man who was an educator, dispels the narrative in its entirety. I thought they’d at least be willing to tell that part of the story. Harvard’s response: silence. — Tamara Lanier, From These Roots, 297

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the broader argument that institutions hold stolen things — photographic images included — and resist any narrative that would disturb their possession; echoes the framing in ‘On Sacrifice’ about institutions legitimating themselves through owned histories.