A court said this week Harvard can be sued in connection with photos of enslaved people produced as part of a racist professor’s 1850 study.
Per a report from the Associated Press, Massachusetts’ Supreme Judicial Court ruled Thursday that a woman whose enslaved ancestors are said to be depicted in the widely distributed photos can sue the school for emotional distress.
As detailed in related court documents, Harvard professor Louis Agassiz had daguerreotypes made in 1850 of Renty Taylor and Delia Taylor, who were enslaved in South Carolina. The photos—which saw both Renty and Delia being forced to disrobe—were later used by Agassiz as part of his support for racist propaganda.
The Supreme Judicial Court has now vacated a prior dismissal of plaintiff Tamara Lanier’s claim, saying in filings this week that “the alleged facts, taken as true, plausibly support claims for negligent and indeed reckless infliction of emotional distress.”
Lanier, per NPR, originally sued in 2019, stating at the time that Harvard was profiting from photos originally commissioned by a racist professor and without consent from the family of those depicted. As stated in the latest court documents, Lanier contacted Harvard and identified herself as a descendant of Renty and Delia. From there, however, Harvard is alleged to have “cavalierly dismissed” the claims and “disregarded her requests” related to additional info on continued use of the photos.
Per AP, Harvard officials are said to be reviewing the court decision, which also saw the upholding of a prior ruling over who could claim ownership of the photos themselves.
In April, Harvard University announced it would be spending $100 million to implement the recommendations of a committee focused on researching the school’s ties to slavery.
