Lanier’s initial approach to Harvard requested only information and verification of her ancestry

Evidence

In May of 2011, Tamara Lanier wrote a letter to Drew Faust, Harvard University’s then president. In it she relayed the history of the daguerreotypes as she understood it and explained that she believed she was a direct descendant of Renty and Delia. … Her requests to Dr. Faust were modest: “to learn more about the slave daguerreotypes and how they have or will be used,” and “a formal review of my documentation to reaffirm that Renty and Delia Taylor are indeed my ancestors.” — Tamara Lanier, From These Roots, 1109

Categorization

• XREF: Establishes the on-ramp facts the reader must hold precisely for the later lawsuit framing — that the claim began modest and non-legal.