Tamara Lanier’s Fight to Reclaim Her History Could Be Any One of Ours
Imagine if you learned that photographs of your enslaved ancestors had been rediscovered in a museum at Harvard. Then imagine how you would feel if someone told you that you have no right to those photographs.
Such is the plight of Tamara Lanier, who has taken on the Ivy League behemoth to secure the rights to the photos, which languished in a drawer out of sight and away from the public eye for years. The daguerreotypes depict women and men, breasts and genitalia exposed, their haunting stares a riveting testament to the degradation our ancestors endured during slavery’s shameful reign.
It isn’t often that we get to bear witness to the direct through-line of one’s past to one’s present. And yet here is tangible proof of Lanier’s link to a family history she has every right to reclaim. As I read this article, which tells the story of her journey of discovery, I felt compelled to spread the word. Lanier could be any one of us: as descendants of slaves, we long for a way to connect to our past. And given the chance, we too might fight to protect any living proof of that bond.
Read on to learn more about Lanier’s battle, then ask yourself: How far would you go to reclaim your family’s legacy? Feel free to share your thoughts in the responses below; we’d love to hear from you.
