Papa Renty learning to read directly refuted Agassiz’s racial theories

Evidence

I’d only ever seen Papa Renty discussed in terms of his invisibility, and the false myth that no one knew his background. I wanted Harvard—and the world—to know that Papa Renty was a proud man who taught himself and his children to read at a time when that was a risk to his own safety, and theirs. That alone debunked Louis Agassiz’s theories, which Harvard clearly supported when the daguerreotypes were commissioned. Yet any time I read anything about the artifacts, back then in 2010, Agassiz was still being celebrated as Harvard’s prized professor. In all the publications I had read about Agassiz, there was a blind worship of his scientific contributions—on glaciers, and fish, and birds—whereas his racism felt intentionally overlooked. — Tamara Lanier, From These Roots, 252

Categorization

• QUESTION: Harvard’s continued celebration of Agassiz in 2010 raises the question of when and how institutional honors for racist scientists get reconsidered.