Tamara Lanier writes about fighting Harvard to reclaim her ancestor's narrative
As Lanier learned, the daguerrotypes of Renty, his daughter, Delia, and several other enslaved people had been created for the use of Louis Aggasiz, a Swiss scientist then at Harvard and now known mostly for his
Get Starting Point
A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
Enter Email
Sign Up
'I was excited because I had heard so much about this man,' she says. Knowing that Renty's image had been used as part of Agassiz's pseudoscientific project to prove white supremacy made her feel queasy. 'I knew that was not his legacy. I thought it was so bizarre that
Advertisement
The journey Lanier describes, driving to Cambridge to see the image in person at Harvard's Peabody Museum, being turned away, then
The Supreme Judicial Court
Advertisement
Lanier hopes readers will take heart from her story. 'Everything that my mom told me, I was able to later substantiate. That's how accurate our oral history was, and is,' she says. 'So many people have these stories and they don't know what to do with them. Write it down, that's the first step. This is our history.'
Tamara Lanier will read at 6 p.m. Wednesday, February 5, at
.
And now for a few recommendations….
Because we simply can't squeeze all the books we want to talk about within the limits of these pages, I hope to highlight a few titles you should look for at your local bookstore this week. From 'The Buddha of Suburbia' to 'My Beautiful Laundrette,' Hanif Kureishi has has spun adventurous and often subversive tales about sex and race set amid English conformity. In '
A pair of novels draw from history's inspiration. In '
Advertisement
Finally, two takes on machines and humanity. From David Hajdu, whose '
Kate Tuttle edits the Globe's Books section.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Chicago Tribune
an hour ago
- Chicago Tribune
Column: For more than 40 years, sketch artist Andy Austin captured our courtrooms' crimes and characters
Andy Austin was an artist drawn to the activities, antics, boredom, rare joy and frequent heartbreaks of the dramas that play out in the courtrooms of our city, vividly capturing their characters and crimes for more than 40 years. 'I never planned to be an artist,' she told me long ago. 'It just happened.' Austin died in April in Maine. She was 89 years old and had been planning an exhibition in a local gallery. The career of Ann Rutherfurd Collier, a relative of the McCormick family that founded the International Harvester Company, may not have been what was expected of a Vassar College English major, born in Chicago and raised in Boston, and the wife of a music teacher and composer at a private school here, and mother of two children living on Astor Street in the Gold Coast. In the late 1960s, her children in school all day, she explored ways to exercise her interest in art, which she had studied in Florence, Italy, after college. She wandered the city, finding suitable subjects in such things as the older men playing chess on the beach at North Avenue. And then in 1969, a notable trial came calling. 'I thought that might be interesting to draw,' she said, referring to the trial, which involved what was called the Chicago Eight (soon Chicago Seven), who faced a variety of changes, such as conspiracy and inciting a riot during the 1968 Democratic National Convention, in what would be one of the defining legal cases of the time. She went to court, and though her art supplies at first were confiscated because she wasn't a member of the press, she snuck them in and started sketching. Eventually allowed in the press section, she showed her work to WLS-Ch. 7 reporter Hugh Hill, who was so impressed that he hired her on the spot. And soon she drew a bound and gagged Bobby Seale, one of the defendants in the trial. It was a powerful image that would appear not only on local TV but in newspapers across the country. Her career was launched, and she would be there for the next four decades, there when Governors George Ryan and Rod Blagojevich were there; serial killer John Wayne Gacy, mobster Joey the Clown, the members of the drug-trafficking El-Rukns gang, mob hitman Harry Aleman and hundreds of more ordinary others. Her sketches and watercolors were powerful and arresting, often embellished by her notes about who she was drawing and other significant observations. She was part of what was a predominantly and powerful female group of artists, which also included pioneers such as Marcia Danits, Carol Renaud, and soon-to-retire Cheryl Cook, who brought the faces of the courts to millions watching TV and reading newspapers. Her daughter, Sasha Austin, told me, 'My mother lived in two opposing worlds: a fancy bohemian one, and another of gritty crime, and she loved them both.' I knew Andy, first meeting her more than 50 years ago when she was the ebullient wife of my high school's music teacher, John Austin, and got to know her better during her courtroom career. She was charming in an almost girlish way, but quietly glamorous too. WBBM-Ch. 2's Bill Kurtis first met her when he was covering the Chicago Seven trial and referred to her evermore as 'the Lana Turner of courtroom art,' recalling that movie star discovered at a drug store. As the years went on and the drawings piled up, Austin told me more than once, 'Sketches are wonderful material for stories. But the sketches can't tell the whole story of these fascinating trials and people.' That's one of the reasons she wrote a terrific 2008 book, 'Rule 53: Capturing Hippies, Spies, Politicians, and Murderers in an American Courtroom.' I interviewed her about it at a 2008 Printers Row event and read some of her fine writing to the crowd. Here she described State Senator John D'Arco: 'I was struck by how small and neat he was, like a well-designed pocketknife.' Or this on a witness: '(He) came limping in on a cane. Hunched over in rumpled, pale silk clothes, hair parted in the middle like a 1920s movie star, he could have been a burnt-out playboy, someone you might see hobbling along the boardwalk at a second-rate European spa. He had an out-of-season look about him.' We did not talk about the book's pages about her pain of losing her teenage son in a fatal car crash on Lake Shore Drive, or her divorce or her daughter. And we never spoke again. I wrote her a note after hearing about the death of her second husband, the esteemed University of Chicago professor Ted Cohen in 2014 and someone told me she had moved to Maine, a place where she had spent some of her childhood summers with her parents and grandparents. I knew that she had donated more than 3,000 of her watercolor sketches to the Pritzker Legal Research Center. And when I heard about her death I also heard that she had written a novel, 'The Bar Harbor Formation.' I ordered a copy. The day after I heard of her death I read a great Chicago magazine story by the prolific Bob Chiarito. It was about courtroom artists and in it he wrote, 'There are still court sketch artists in Chicago — although their days may be numbered as more and more courts allow cameras in. Currently, there are two main sketch artists who freelance for the television news stations and newspapers in town … down from the days when every station and newspaper in town had their own courtroom sketch artist on staff.' Those were Andy Austin's days and she lived them fully.
Boston Globe
5 hours ago
- Boston Globe
One of the area's most thoughtful Korean restaurants is in Haverhill
Chef-owners Yu Gin Kim (left) and Walter Gorrell preparing dishes at their Haverhill restaurant, Damgeuda. The two met working at Tasting Counter in Somerville. JOSH REYNOLDS FOR THE BOSTON GLOBE/Josh Reynolds for The Boston Globe Get Winter Soup Club A six-week series featuring soup recipes and cozy vibes, plus side dishes and toppings, to get us all through the winter. Enter Email Sign Up All of this came together as preparation for Damgeuda, which Gorrell and Kim opened late last year, after hosting pop-ups at places like The word 'damgeuda' means to immerse or soak; it is the initial step in fermentation, Gorrell explains — an appropriate name for a first restaurant that is both growing into itself and becoming a destination, and where fermented ingredients feature prominently on the menu. Advertisement 'We're just doing a small menu. It's just the two of us working,' Gorrell says. 'We keep everything simple but try to make as many things as we can ourselves — whether it's bread or gochujang or kimchi or soy sauce, we'll try to make it.' (They also built out much of the restaurant themselves; the space came with plumbing and not much else.) A Swiss chard dish features house-made tofu, house-made soy sauce, and house-made miso. JOSH REYNOLDS FOR THE BOSTON GLOBE/Josh Reynolds for The Boston Globe On a recent evening, we take two seats at the counter. There are also a few tables, but perching here makes the meal more communal, more about the experience. We can see how Gorrell and Kim prepare the dishes; we can exchange pleasantries with the other diners, two couples who also choose counter seats. We eat dubu jorim, a dish of firm braised tofu tossed with chile crisp, sliced cucumbers, fresh green herbs, and mushroom chips with an appealingly airy, Styrofoam-adjacent texture. The tofu is made in house. Gorrell and Kim also make a soft tofu, which recently appeared in a dish of Swiss chard lightly cooked in sesame-miso sauce, dressed with their house-made soy, and dolloped with the fresh tofu curd. They also make the miso that goes into the sesame-miso sauce, using the solids strained from house-made soy milk. Scallion mandu are plump vegetable dumplings bathed in an orange-miso sauce and drizzled with house-made soy. Since our visit, the menu has featured iterations including onion mandu (using steamed onions as the skins) and beef mandu with green garlic sauce, breadcrumbs, and radishes. The menus change constantly, according to the seasons, availability of ingredients, and what's holding the chefs' interest. Advertisement Banchan include (clockwise from front) Napa cabbage kimchi, daikon kimchi, and eggplant pickles with garlic oil. JOSH REYNOLDS FOR THE BOSTON GLOBE/Josh Reynolds for The Boston Globe 'We like vegetables and like cooking vegetables,' Gorrell says. 'We were lucky enough to find a farm in Haverhill we really like working with.' Late Bloom Farm is just a 10-minute drive away, and they try to use as many of its ingredients as possible. 'It's organic, no-till, very minimal, very natural.' This fits in with Damgeuda's ethos. The chefs have worked at restaurants that focus on minimal waste, and they carry that along here, trying to use everything. Jjolmyeon is the perfect dish to bridge the seasons: spicy cold noodles in a sauce of gochujang with braised beef and mustard greens, a pile of icy orange kimchi granita melting alongside. It's simultaneously hearty and refreshing (and can also be made vegan). In addition to dinner Thursday through Saturday, Damgeuda serves Saturday lunch and Sunday brunch. A recently introduced burger has been a popular Sunday order: The chefs grind brisket, then season it like the Korean dish tteok-galbi — with scallions, garlic, soy sauce, and more — and serve it on a house-made bun with house-made mayonnaise and cabbage slaw. The brunch burger, made with ground brisket seasoned like the Korean dish tteok-galbi, with scallions, garlic, soy sauce, and more. JOSH REYNOLDS FOR THE BOSTON GLOBE/Josh Reynolds for The Boston Globe Banchan, traditional vegetable side dishes, are always a highlight of the meal. We order Napa cabbage kimchi, daikon kimchi, cucumber miso pickles, and eggplant pickles with garlic oil. Made by Kim, they are all excellent. Although they are an ideal accompaniment to other dishes, they are also good snacks on their own, and Gorrell says people will come in just for pickles and a drink. Damgeuda has a highly curated beverage menu: a few bottles of wine, a few local beers, a half-dozen kinds of sake (most made by Farthest Star), and a couple of cocktails. Advertisement I sip a milk punch made with roasted bananas and soju; there's also a house spritz, made with Damgeuda's version of Aperol. The cocktails change seasonally, too, and a tiki drink with rum, coconut milk, sunflower orgeat, and lime recently appeared for warmer weather. I quite like the nonalcoholic drinks, including a refreshing pear-ginger soda and a warm cup of burdock chai welcome at the end of the meal. For dessert, we try sweet potato ice cream with citrus granita, two textures of frozen, with blueberries and omija, or schisandra berry. Kim's aunt makes omija cheong, a syrup from the berry; the chefs, who just returned from a trip to Korea, planned to bring some back, along with other ingredients that travel well. They are sure to return, too, with plenty of new ideas for the ever-evolving menus at their ever-evolving restaurant by the Merrimack River. 21 Washington St., Haverhill, . E-mail for a reservation. Dishes $9-$34. Chef-owners Walter Gorrell (left) and Yu Gin Kim beside the counter at Damgeuda, their Korean restaurant in Haverhill. JOSH REYNOLDS FOR THE BOSTON GLOBE/Josh Reynolds for The Boston Globe Devra First can be reached at
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Yahoo
Neymar drops by Brazil's pre-match, fans celebrate in style
Neymar drops by Brazil's pre-match, fans celebrate in style – check it out Almost everything is ready for the Brazilian National Team to face Paraguay at the Neo Química Arena, at 9:45 pm (Brasília time), this Tuesday (10), the 16th and penultimate round of the South American Qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup. Coach Carlo Ancelotti has even announced the official lineup! Advertisement In addition to the starters, the 66-year-old Italian coach has left out of the game left-back Carlos Augusto (Inter Milan) and midfielder Andreas Pereira (Fulham). But, while the ball doesn't roll in Itaquera, there's a lot of movement around the stadium. The Green and Yellow Movement, which usually makes noise in the stands in support of the National Team, is present around the Neo Química Arena. The "Pistola" Canarinho is also at the Corinthians' home to welcome the five-time world champions, including the "host" Hugo Souza. And even Giannis Antelounmpo, star of the Milwaukee Bucks, from the NBA, is also present at the NQA. And Neymar, the big star of this generation of Brazilian players, but who is still out of the National Team while trying to string together a series of games to get physically fit at Santos, was present at the concentration hotel to give that final support before the match. This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here. 📸 Wagner Meier - 2025 Getty Images
