Lanier framed truth-telling itself as the mechanism of liberation.

Evidence

Back then, my goal was to document our family’s oral history, like the one my mother’s cousin had done for Big Mammy. Papa Renty’s story, however, was inspiring not just to me and my immediate family, but to the whole world. I also thought, Veritas: telling the truth about Renty is what would ultimately make him free. — Tamara Lanier, From These Roots, 1283