Harvard Portraiture Project to Honor Black Lacrosse Player Lucien Alexis Jr. ’42

Lucien V. Alexis Jr. ’42, the first Black player on the Harvard Lacrosse team, will be honored in a commissioned painting as a part of the Harvard Foundation for Intercultural and Race Relations Portraiture Project, the Foundation announced at an event on Feb. 13.

The portrait — which will debut spring 2024 in a to-be-announced location — will be painted by Steven E. Coit ’71. As an artist for the portraiture project, Coit has produced more than 20 portraits to redecorate campus to reflect the diverse figures that shaped the University’s past.

As a member of Adams House, Alexis was the first Black undergraduate to be given housing at the college. He was also the only Black member of the Class of 1942.

“This project aims to uplift the stories of the trailblazing individuals who have been a part of our rich university history,” Abraham wrote in a statement for the Harvard Foundation. “Our hope is that students, faculty, staff, and administrators see themselves in these portraits and are inspired by those that came before us.”

The Harvard Foundation will unveil a portrait of Lucien V. Alexis Jr. later this year. From left to right: Sadé Abraham, Harvard Foundation senior director; Brenda D. Tindal, FAS chief campus curator; Stephen Coit '71, artist for the Harvard Foundation portraiture project; Fred K. Asare-Konadu ’24; Jaden B. Jernigan ’24; Isaiah Dawson ’23; and Alta Mauro, Harvard College associate dean for inclusion and belonging. By Courtesy of the Harvard Foundation

Speakers at the announcement event included Coit, newly-appointed campus curator Brenda D. Tindal, Harvard Foundation Senior Director Sadé Abraham, Associate Dean for Inclusion and Belonging Alta Mauro, and Fred Asare-Konadu ’24, Isaiah Dawson ’23, and Jaden B. Jernigan ’24 — three Black players on the Harvard men’s lacrosse team.

“Today’s program signals the important efforts underway to support our shared understanding of our complex institutional narratives and deepen our appreciation of the diverse peoples and events that shape our past, impact our present, and inform our future,” Tindal said at the event.

In 1941, the Harvard team was not allowed onto the U.S. Naval Academy lacrosse field because Alexis was a member of the team. Though the coach and manager refused to withdraw Alexis from the game, sitting Harvard athletic director William J. Bingham, Class of 1916, overruled them and sent Alexis back to Cambridge.

Following a 0-12 loss for Harvard, students organized a protest and circulated petitions to administrators, elected officials, and even President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Class of 1904. The Harvard Athletic Association announced shortly after organizing efforts that the school would no longer withdraw players because of their race.

“The story of Lucien earmarks a pivotal inflection point in the history of lacrosse, and of Harvard, and equally reminds us of just how far we’ve come, and how much further we have to go,” Dawson said during the event.

Correction: February 23, 2023

A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that the portrait of Lucien V. Alexis ’42 would be unveiled this spring. In fact, the portrait is set to debut in spring 2024.

—Staff writer Jasmine Palma can be reached at jasmine.palma@thecrimson.com.

—Staff writer Tess C. Wayland can be reached at tess.wayland@thecrimson.com.