Harvard used John Lewis’s presence to legitimize its slavery commemoration

Evidence

I had also learned that the iconic John Lewis was going to be at the event, which I found problematic: John Lewis shed blood, sweat, and tears to earn his civil rights legacy. He was a true hero in the fight for racial equity in this country, and I felt that Harvard simply wanted to capitalize on that. — Tamara Lanier, From These Roots, 561

Categorization

• XREF: Aligns with the chapter’s running theme of Harvard controlling the narrative of its own slavery history while excluding actual descendants — institutional spectacle as deflection.