David Grubin & Tamara Lanier talk about the documentary: Free Renty: Lanier v. Harvard

The Last Negroes at Harvard

Free Renty tells the story of Tamara Lanier's efforts to force Harvard University to surrender possession of a daguerreotypes(da·guerre·o·type) of her great-great-great grandfather, an enslaved man named Renty. The daguerreotype was commissioned in 1850 by a Harvard professor named Louis Agassiz. He wanted to use it as part of his research to "prove" the superiority of the white race. The film focuses on Lanier and tracks her lawsuit against Harvard.