A black descendant of Thomas Jefferson is causing controversy with a bold recreation of his ancestor’s photo

Four years after Smithsonian Magazine published photos of Shannon LaNier, a black descendant of Thomas Jefferson, dressed as his ancestor, many individuals have mixed feelings about whether he has embraced his heritage.

Critics have focused on how Jefferson wrote the words “all men are created equal” but never freed his slaves and formed a relationship with LaNier’s direct matrilineal ancestor, Sally Hemings, when she was just 14 and he was 44.

The photo resurfaced on X, with one person simply sharing side-by-side portraits of LaNier and Jefferson. But immediately the trolls began intervening.

“Thomas Jefferson is rolling in his grave” – one person suggested,

Several people said they saw a familiar resemblance despite the difference in race, tweeting, “They look the same!” AND “I see the resemblance.”

“He looks pissed off, like ‘who will destroy your line’…” one person joked.

One comment To read“Why will we glorify someone who had such a complex and controversial legacy? Just since it’s a descendant does not imply we must always romanticize the past without acknowledging its flaws.

“Thomas Jefferson wouldn’t take it away if he were alive today” – another person he tweeted.

Some have sparked controversy over whether the Hemings children are literally descendants of the third president or another person.

Other he wrote“He did not have a single mulatto child. It’s a false story.”

This is historically unfaithful. The Thomas Jefferson Foundation, the previous president’s official estate, released statement stating: “A significant body of evidence stretching from 1802 to 1873 (and beyond) describes Thomas Jefferson as the father of Sally Hemings’ children. This was confirmed by the results of a DNA study of the Y chromosome haplotype conducted by Dr. Eugene Foster and published in the scientific journal Nature in November 1998.”

According to their scientific research, DNA testing did indeed prove the paternity of a member of the Jefferson family and corroborated extensive documentary and oral evidence.

“Other evidence also supports Thomas Jefferson’s paternity, including his presence at Monticello during Sally Hemings’ probable windows of conception, the names of Hemings’ surviving children, and the fact that all of her children were granted freedom – either allowed to leave the plantation or legally emancipated in accordance with Jefferson’s wishes , which is a unique phenomenon among the enslaved families of Monticello,” the inspiration continued.

LaNier himself spoke out about being a descendant of Jefferson, posting a synthetic intelligence version of the portraits through which his face and the faces of his presidential ancestors subtly intertwine.

“YES #PresidentThomasJefferson had #black #children? This is not a flex, just facts! Love it or hate it, I’m here because of it. You can’t choose your #family, but we can expose its historical injustices! #Jefferson owned over 600 enslaved people and had children with at least one of them, #SallyHemings,” he stated. he wrote in a caption posted on July 4.

“It wasn’t consensual love because it was his own,” he continued, noting the complicated nature of his ancestors’ relationships.

“No need to argue about it on this site! It’s just a complicated truth of American history. I am the sixth great-grandchild of Jefferson & Hemings, and there are a lot of us! That’s why I travel around the country talking about my family, your family, DNA, historical healing and reconciliation. Some people don’t want us to know our history, but truth is power! We must protect the truth… the good, the bad and the ugly!”

This is not the primary time LaNier has spoken out about his views on Jefferson, sharing the pride he will need to have in being a descendant but in addition admitting the hypocrisy of co-authoring the Declaration of Independence.

While promoting his 2020 book “Jefferson’s Children: The Story of One American Family,” he called his grandfather a “complex man.”

“I’m just conflicted because I wish he would do more for my family. “I wish he had done more to rid this world of slavery,” he said in an interview interview with NPR. “I mean, he was the most powerful man in the country. He could have done more. And one abolitionist once wrote that never before had a man gained such fame for something he had not done – because he wrote these words, all men are created equal. But he did not practice them.”

LaNier participated within the project with The Smithsonian as part of a larger collection of stories. Originally, when he was asked to participate, he was asked to wear a powdered wig. He refused, stating that he didn’t want to seem white and that he didn’t wish to “become Jefferson” in interview in regards to the project from Artnet.com.

During the 2020 project, British photographer Drew Gardner identified several relatives of famous historical figures and asked them to pose within the likenesses of their family members.

While the photos are powerful, the stark contrast of LaNier and the white Jefferson will proceed to be controversial because he is a living witness to the complex nature of American enslavement prior to now and its continuing reach into today’s present.