FREE RENTY tells the story of Tamara Lanier, an African American woman determined to force Harvard University to cede possession of daguerreotypes (photograph) 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, featuring attorney Benjamin Crump, author Ta-Nehisi Coates, and scholars Ariella Azoulay and Tina Campt. Tamara Lanier's lawsuit against Harvard makes the explosive issues of white supremacy and reparations vividly personal.