A Descendant's Fight to Reclaim Photographs of Her Enslaved Ancestors from Harvard
By
Jennifer Berry Hawes
Summary
Tamara Lanier believes she is a descendant of Renty and Delia, enslaved people photographed in 1850 for Harvard scientist Louis Agassiz, who used the images to promote racist theories of Black inferiority. The photos are among the oldest known images of enslaved Americans. Lanier is fighting for legal control of the photographs, seeking to reclaim her ancestors' story and dignity. Her case highlights the lack of clear legal frameworks for repatriating cultural artifacts and human remains tied to enslaved Africans, and raises broader questions about who has the right to control the images and narratives of marginalized people.
Source
bskyA Descendant's Fight to Reclaim Photographs of Her Enslaved Ancestors from Harvardpropub.liKey quotes
· 3 pulledShe arrived to view historic photographs of enslaved people she had recently come to believe were her own ancestors.
She had felt gripped by the steely gaze of a man named Renty. And she had grieved for his daughter, a young woman named Delia.
Tamara Lanier's fight to gain control of them shows there is no clear system in place to repatriate remains of captive Africans or objects associated with them.
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