Visual Veritas pathway
Visual Veritas
Case Overview
This nonfiction case set at Harvard University examines the ethical challenges that arise when universities memorialize historically complex figures through visual culture like portraits, statues, and busts. Specifically, the case examines Harvard Law School’s statue of Joseph Story—who criticized the slave trade but defended the Fugitive Slave Act—and portrait of Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.—who held progressive opinions on civil liberties but supported the disenfranchisement of Black citizens and ruled in favor of forced sterilization.
With an institutional commitment to truth and an increasingly diverse student body, what are the tradeoffs to consider when revisiting monuments to complex historical figures on Harvard’s campus—and at universities broadly?
You can find and download the full case study below.
Key Questions You Will Explore
- How should prominent historical figures’ beliefs and actions impact their inclusion in a university’s visual culture today?
- How can institutions make changes that help their campuses feel more inclusive without losing important connections to the past, even when that past is harmful?
- As institutions examine existing iconography, how should they balance a desire to acknowledge the past with a desire to honor current community values and demographics?
Hear from the Experts
Why is this issue a real dilemma? Watch short video commentaries to explore the complexities, challenges, and values at stake in this case.
As you watch each video, consider the following questions:
- What resonates with you in this video?
- What questions does this video raise for you?
- How does this video impact your understanding of the dilemmas in the case?
On Mandatory Engagement
Julia Chaffers, alumn of Princeton University, answers the question: How can we think about mandatory vs. voluntary engagement with institutional entanglement with slavery and its legacies?
On Confronting Past Harms
Vincent Brown, Charles Warren Professor of American History and Professor of African and African American Studies at Harvard University, answers the question: How should institutions confront past harms committed by stakeholders?
Additional Resources
- Explore how Harvard University has represented Justice Joseph Story in campus iconography. The bust of Story (redirect) is located in Annenberg Hall, the first-year dining hall at Harvard College, and the marble statue of Story (redirect) is located in Harvard Law School’s Langdell Hall.
- Learn more about Joseph Story’s positive impact on Harvard Law School during his time as a professor (redirect).
- This podcast interview explores the harmful impact of Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.’s decision upholding forced sterilization (redirect).
- This review of a biography of Oliver Wendell Holmes explores Holmes’ complicated legacy and provides a detailed overview of his life (redirect).
- Learn about how the controversy surrounding President A. Lawrence Lowell’s legacy at Harvard (redirect), particularly his policies that sought to exclude Jewish and Black students, led to the removal of his portrait from the Lowell House dining hall.
- The Report of the FAS Task Force on Visual Cultural and Signage (PDF), referenced several times in “Visual Veritas,” presents the findings of the Task Force that investigated Harvard’s visual culture across the Faculty of Arts and Sciences.
- Read the Harvard Law School Shield Committee Report (PDF), which led to HLS retiring the original school shield in 2016.
- While this case explores dilemmas related to visual culture at Harvard, this conversation is relevant across the United States. Read conflicting viewpoints on the question: Should Controversial Monuments Be Removed or Are They Necessary Teaching Tools? (redirect).
Case Reflection Questions
- In choosing whom to memorialize, how should universities balance service to the institution with actions and impact in the broader world?
- How much do you know about iconography at your institution? What do you know about the figures featured in portraits, photos, statues, and busts?
- This case presents many viewpoints about the inclusion of complex historical figures in campus iconography. Which viewpoint aligned most clearly with your own? Why?
Are You Hoping to Lead People Through This Learning Pathway?
The Pathway Facilitation Guide provides comprehensive information and guidance for teaching and learning with this learning pathway:
- guidance on customizing your pathway
- best practices for normative case discussions
- detailed protocols for each case
- discussion questions for different audiences
- extension activities for personalized learning
Want facilitation materials and guidance just for this one case? Download the Case Facilitation Guide!
What's Next? Exploring the Other Cases in this Pathway
This pathway contains four additional case studies and supporting materials that explore dilemmas related to institutional entanglement with slavery and the legacies of that entanglement. Click on each case below to learn more.
In this fictional case, a group of Harvard University students learn the history of Professor Louis Agassiz, whose research and theories justified the institution of slavery, highlighting the university’s ties with enslavement. Each student grapples with how to react to the university’s legacy and raises questions:
What responsibility does the University have to teach this history, and what are our personal responsibilities to learn?
A committee at a fictional college revisits their decision to rename an administrative building in the face of new understanding of the founder’s ties to slavery. Students and activists are demanding more sweeping changes, including renaming the entire college to address systemic racism, while some faculty and alumni emphasize preserving tradition and legacy.
What responsibilities do universities have to reconsider whom they memorialize, and how should they weigh different stakeholder perspectives?
In this fictional case, a group of literature professors weighs the historical and literary value of canonical texts like The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn against the potential harm such books may cause students, as well as the value of diversifying the literary canon with postcolonial texts.
How, if at all, should historical context be taken into account as institutions and individual instructors choose which texts and thinkers to expose students to? How should instructors think about including figures with problematic legacies?
In this fictional case set at Harvard College, an African American college student with South African and Zimbabwean ancestry grapples with whether to apply for the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship, knowing that its creator and primary funder spread white supremacy and imperialism across the African continent.
Should Cecil Rhodes’s historical legacy impact her decision—and if so, in what direction?
Learning about a topic like the legacy of slavery can be overwhelming. Community Care Resources are available for members of the Harvard community seeking support for mental, spiritual, and emotional well-being.
Want to Learn More?
EdEthics | Legacies and Lessons Video Playlist
Watch our full series of expert commentaries on grappling with complex history in higher education, featuring alumni, scholars, and institutional leaders.
Harvard & the Legacy of Slavery Initiative
Explore the Harvard & the Legacy of Slavery Initiative and their work.
Harvard & the Legacy of Slavery Report
Read the 2022 Report of the Presidential Committee on Harvard & the Legacy of Slavery.
