Beyond Boundaries : Free Renty: Lanier vs. Harvard

Free Renty: Lanier vs. Harvard, 2021 

Director/Producer: David Grubin 

Free Renty tells the story of Tamara Lanier, an African American woman determined to force Harvard University to cede possession of daguerreotypes of her great-great-great grandfather, an enslaved man named Renty.  The daguerreotypes were commissioned in 1850 by a Harvard professor to “prove” the superiority of the white race.  The images remain emblematic of America’s failure to acknowledge the cruelty of slavery, the racist science that supported it and the white supremacy that continues to infect our society today.   The film focuses on Lanier and tracks her lawsuit against Harvard and features attorney Benjamin Crump, author Ta-Nehisi Coates and scholars Ariella Azoulay and Tina Campt. 

https://vimeo.com/736999795/bfed7df364

Beyond Boundaries Screening & Discussion Series is a distinctive program at Buffalo State that has been running since 2014.  This annual, six-part film series is organized around categories of diversity including, but not limited to race, gender, class, sexuality, and abilities, with an emphasis on intersectionality.  It creates an opportunity for open dialogue on social justice issues among college students, staff, faculty and members of the greater Western New York community. 

Beyond Boundaries is sponsored by the Office of Equity and Campus Diversity, the Communication Department, and the Burchfield Penney Art Center.  All screenings are held in Burchfield Penney Art Center and are free and open to the public.

The series is curated by Professors Ruth Goldman and Meg Knowles