#How to Experience the Lasting Legacy of Harriet Tubman

[ausetkmt]

How to Experience the Lasting Legacy of Harriet Tubman

Pressing my hands against the bricks of the home Harriet Tubman built, I closed my eyes and listened to the wind rustling between the leaves of the trees surrounding this place where she lived and worked as a free woman, awaiting a message from the Underground Railroad conductor and Union spy.

Little did I know when I visited Auburn, New York, last year that I was following a ritual that 130 of Tubman’s descendants did a month before when they made their own pilgrimage to 180 South Street from the likes of Florida, Texas, Washington state, and as far north as Canada to commemorate the bicentennial of Tubman’s birth.

Michele Jones Galvin, Tubman’s great-great-grandniece and co-author of Beyond the Underground: Aunt Harriet, Moses of Her People, attended the reunion from Syracuse, New York. She believes Tubman’s message reverberating throughout the generations has always been clear. “It was that we were to take care of one another and our neighbors to the best of our ability,” Jones Galvin says. “That, to me, was who Aunt Harriet was. She took care of her family to the best of her ability. She took care of her neighbors to the extent that she could.”

Jones Galvin describes her historic auntie as an “ordinary woman who did extraordinary things.” A woman who was friendly but introverted, empathetic, and compassionate. Not flamboyant. Never an attention-seeker. In Auburn, recognition of Tubman has been incrementally ramping up since the 1990s as citizen-led efforts from locals and transplants alike began making connections to and garnering an understanding of her significant involvement in the city.

Harriet Tubman’s home is now part of the Harriet Tubman National Historic Park in Auburn, New York. The house is scheduled to be renovated in the coming years.Epics//Getty Images

“I felt when I came here that she was an overlooked individual,” acknowledges Bill Berry Jr., the immediate past chair of the Harriet Tubman Center for Justice & Peace. “There wasn’t any significant involvement by citizens here in Auburn to recognize someone who, by then, had come to international prominence. Here’s somebody whose life was exemplary [and] can show people what it really means to be courageous [and] have a sense of perseverance grounded in equity, social justice, and freedom.”

I arrived in Auburn during a two-day road trip with my best friend, Rochell. We were in Chittenango Falls State Park chasing waterfalls when we realized we were an hour away from Tubman’s chosen free home and decided to take a detour, arriving just in time to catch the last afternoon tour given by the National Park Service, which oversees the Harriet Tubman National Historic Park.

Auburn, New York, began significantly recognizing Harriet Tubman in the 1990s. The 32-acre Harriet Tubman National Historical Park opened there in 2017.Epics//Getty Images

The 32-acre property is covered with trees and divided by a long gravel driveway. To the right is the modest two-story brick home where Tubman lived and worked as a businesswoman and midwife with her second husband, Nelson Davis, and other family members. On the opposite side lies the Harriet Tubman Home for the Aged (formerly known as the John Brown Home for the Aged and Indigent Colored People), which Tubman built for her parents and the infirmed. The drive ends at the Harriet Tubman Visitor’s Center. We happened to be there in time to see the evocative 9-foot traveling sculpture Harriet Tubman — The Journey to Freedom, which was unveiled last spring in the north apron of Philadelphia’s City Hall.

“The best place to experience Harriet Tubman is in Auburn, New York,” community leader Rhoda Overstreet-Wilson attests. “There’s a physicalness that is here. You can touch the banisters that she touched. You can walk the streets where she walked. To channel her essence, it can be done in no other way than in Auburn.”

Built in 1891, the Thompson Memorial African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, where Tubman worshipped, is also part of the national park site in Auburn. (The Harriet Tubman Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church, located on 90 Franklin Street in Auburn, eventually replaced the old Thompson church and parsonage. It was named in honor of Tubman.) Currently, Thompson Memorial is being overhauled by the National Park Service and is expected to be available for tours later this summer or early fall.

Several celebrations and events, including author talks and art exhibits, held throughout the U.S. marked the bicentennial of Harriet Tubman���s birth in 2022. Courtesy Equal Rights Heritage Center

Renovations on the Tubman residence are also planned and will proceed once the legal frameworks for grant funding and development between the A.M.E. Zion Church — to which the property was bequeathed — and the National Park Service are completed. Proceeds from the forthcoming Harriet Tubman commemorative coins ($5 gold coins, $1 silver coins, half-dollar copper-nickel coins) will be split between Tubman’s historic home in Auburn and the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati. Jones Galvin says Tubman being added to the $20 bill, announced in 2016 by the Treasury Department, is at least seven years from actuality.

Without being able to enter her home or the church building, I was still moved to be on this sacred ground: laying hands on the bricks she manufactured and used to build her home; imagining myself greeting her at the steps to bring a gingerbread cake (which I learned she loved); or singing next to her in the pew where she worshiped (and wondering if she was an alto). Like others, I left mementos — citrine and tiger’s eye crystals I had with me — at her gravesite in reverence and appreciation.

Harriet Tubman’s work in the suffragette movement is showcased at the Equal Rights Heritage Center, which features one of the most famous statues of Tubman.Courtesy Equal Rights Heritage Center

“In discussing Harriet Tubman and what she was able to accomplish, there is also that overlying spirituality that she lived and breathed, and that’s definitely pulled through to today,” says Ahna Wilson, superintendent of the Women’s Rights National Historic Park and Harriet Tubman National Historic Park.

There are highlights of Tubman’s work in the suffragette movement at the Equal Rights Heritage Center. Next door at the Seward House, visitors can learn of her life and work with Secretary of State William H. Seward and his family.

Tubman’s legacy will be incorporated into Auburn’s free Black History Walk on February 18. For Harriet Tubman Day on March 10 — the day she died in 1913 — the city plans to commemorate the anniversary with several events. This year, there will be a talk from Clarence Lusane, the author of Twenty Dollars and Change: Harriet Tubman and the Ongoing Fight for Racial Justice and Democracy. Tubman’s legacy will also be part of events during Women’s History Month in March and a Juneteenth celebration scheduled for June 17.

Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad State Park and Visitor Center opened in 2017 in Church Creek, Maryland. Tubman was born in Dorchester County.VW Pics//Getty Images

While Auburn is a focal point for experiencing Tubman’s life as a groundbreaking free woman, her legacy can be felt throughout North America. As she famously said, “If you want a taste of freedom, keep going.” Here are other sites to experience the impact of Tubman.

Atlanta: In February, the West Atlanta Watershed Alliance is sponsoring events in which attendees can connect with Tubman through interpretive hikes as well as a discussion with author Tricia Hersey, founder of the Nap Ministry.

Cambridge, Maryland: Tubman was born in the early 1800s in Dorchester County, which is now home to the Harriet Tubman Museum and Educational Center. At the Bucktown General Store, visitors can experience Tubman’s first act of defiance.

Church Creek, Maryland: The Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad State Park and Visitor Center is a prime location for exploring the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway, a self-guided driving tour that includes 36 sites related to Tubman and the Underground Railroad. Tubman is the only woman and African American with two national parks named in their honor.

Cincinnati, Ohio: The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, which opened in 2004, includes the permanent interactive exhibit “Escape! Freedom Seekers and the Underground Railroad,” which features Tubman.

Newark, New Jersey: A new monument honoring Tubman designed by Nina Cooke John titled Shadow of a Face is scheduled to be unveiled March 9 in the city's recently renamed Tubman Square.

Niagara Falls, Canada: Hop aboard Motherland Connextions' bus tour to see freedom crossing points and landmark locations in the Ontario area while listening to guides in period costumes share tales of Tubman’s work throughout the region.

Philadelphia: A decade before the Civil War, Tubman called Philly home. The Kennett Underground Railroad Center offers tours of key sites in the Kennett area from the spring through fall.

Washington, D.C.: The Harriet Tubman Collection, which includes a shawl gifted to Tubman by Queen Victoria, is on permanent display at the National Museum of African American History and Culture. There is also a wax figure of the freedom fighter in the Presidents Gallery at Madame Tussauds.

[confettipizza]

Lunar Recap

How it started. How it’s going. How it ended for the last lunar cycle of 2020.

This lunar cycle began with the New Moon on Jan. 12, 2021 @ 11:01 PM CT (Jan. 13 @ 05:01 UTC). It was the 13th Moon of 2020 according to the lunar calendar. And it ended Feb. 11, 2021, just before the 1st Moon of 2021! Happy Lunar New Year 2021, Year of the Ox!

South Korean Court Orders Japan to Compensate Women Forced into Sex Slavery

Colorado AG Opens Grand Jury Probe of Police Killing of Elijah McClain

Guantánamo Bay Prison Starts 20th Year of Indefinite Detentions

Pfizer to Boost COVID-19 Vaccine Output as WHO Warns of Vaccination Inequality

Lawmakers Catch COVID-19 After Sheltering in Room Where GOP Reps Refused Masks

FBI Warns of “Armed Protests” in All 50 States and at Biden’s Inauguration

Tomorrow is Sun conjunct Pluto. Something that’s been lurking in the shadows bout to jump out. Might be pretty big, but there’s also the individual personal experience of this event and might feel more like an early Full Moon for you.

House to Impeach Trump as GOP Shows Signs of Backing Removal

Well this is dumb. Sun conjunct Pluto?

The $3,000-a-month toilet for the Ivanka Trump/Jared Kushner Secret Service detail

I also remembered/realized how much I really love Anna Sui designs since I was a kid which is pretty random to pop up on my radar, but this woman gets that all I want is sparkly heart shaped objects in lacquered black and flowy hippie dresses

Trump Tells Aides Not to Pay Giuliani’s Legal Fees as Bid to Overturn Election Fails

All I know is talking about dreams and discussing them with others makes you feel better. The tarot angle is there to shed some light on what the dream is actually telling you.

Joe Biden Unveils $1.9 Trillion Coronavirus and Economic Relief Package

ICE’s Acting Director Resigns After Two Weeks on Job

Found out today the woman at the car mechanic I've been faithfully taking my car to for the past two years can speak to the dead and had some messages for me from my dad who passed in October-

Intuitive guided tarot card pull.

Waxing crescent into Aries Monday, January 18, 2021 at 1:06 AM CT Today’s Astro x Tarot forecast valid for the next 24 hours: Feelings are flaring up for you to make a statement, a very zippy move or a quick decision about someone or something.

So long as you remain flexible and agile, whatever you choose to do with them will work to your advantage. If you decide not to impose hyper-agility into your decision making rn, then kudos to you! You’ve gained practice points in self-control experience.

More Than 760,000 Pounds of Hot Pockets Recalled

‘I Answered the Call of My President’: Rioters Say Trump Urged Them On

Raphael Warnock and the Legacy of Racial Tyranny

The Extraordinary Courage of Aleksei Navalny

Whoa, I was like a cycle early on celebrating the lunar new year! I’ve been a month into the future for a week now. My bad! I apologize for any confusion.

I was thinking that the soul's law of attraction is probably pretty unstoppable even concerning partners, so like, if someone didn't love you back then it's not some mistake or human misunderstanding that you or they need to fix.

To find one's soulmate looks something like 2 souls flying towards each other from opposite ends of the galaxy to join their physical selves together in a collision force so brutal you're stuck like that and if that's not what yours looks like then maybe that ain't your soulmate?

All the men going to jail for their poop smearing Capitol rioting have online dating profiles and that’s reason no. 2 I do not date online! Reason no. 1 is ain’t nobody cute on there.

The Witch’s Myth: The true story of the crane husband

Where are your witch stars, Circe and Hekate, located? Their location can explain your relationship to witchcraft. Circe is in my 1st house influencing my outer appearances and Hekate is conjunct Jupiter influencing my domestic style and home to be distinctively witchy.

Sun into Aquarius Tuesday, January 19, 2021 at 2:33 PM CT Here is your Sun into Aquarius forecast effective for the next several weeks of Aquarius season. 

Down to earth and grounded is our most qualified position to receive everything we need and use everything we receive. This is the reality of ourselves, the human condition.

We love reality based reality.

Get ready for reality-grounded White House press briefings

Why do people believe the lies they’re fed? Because those lies are designed to be more palatable than reality. Lies offer a quick easy patch, but what you’ve gotta ask yourself is are those lies actually designed to support the flow of all things into your life?

~* First Quarter Jan. 20 3:02 PM CT (21:02 UTC) *~

Biden and Harris Attend Memorial to Honor 400,000+ COVID-19 Victims in U.S. on Eve of Inauguration

Steve Bannon Among Final Trump Pardons and Commutations

Trump Admin Declares Multiculturalism Is “Not Who America Is” as WH Releases Racist, Revisionist Report

4,000+ Columbia Students Back Largest-Ever Tuition Strike

Today, whatever you’re doing or are wishing to become will be to the benefit of this unifying, love-aligned uprising.

Joe Biden Sworn In as 46th President of the United States, Ending Trump Era

Good inauguration Astro climate this morning feels like. #BidenHarrisInauguration

“What has shaken the U.S. population so badly, this assault on the Capitol yesterday, is really nothing by comparison to what U.S. operations have done in Latin America, in Asia, in Africa, in the Middle East, to other democratic movements and elected governments over the years.”

Progress towards wholeness can’t be made until we own up to the roles we’ve played in the past.

Read the full text of Amanda Gorman’s inaugural poem ‘The Hill We Climb’

When did politics get so vibrant and fashionably uplifting? Please and thank you! #Inauguration2021

The two of wands says to review your options, do your research, crunch the numbers, imagine the outcomes, but there’s no need to force making a choice if you don’t have to. Buy yourself some time and let the plans for a resolution find you, not the other way around.

Donald Trump Leaves Office and Washington, D.C., Threatens “We Will Be Back”

Watchdogs Demand Transparency as Corporations Pour Millions into Biden-Harris Inauguration

Senate Dems File Ethics Complaint Against Sens. Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley over Jan. 6 Insurrection

Federal Forces Arrest Ex-Marine for Beating Officer with a Hockey Stick During Capitol Riots

It’s Friday and it just feels good to be alive, a socialist and calling Bernie Sanders cute on Inauguration Day week! What a difference a pandemic makes.

Instacart Lays Off 2,000 Workers, Including Group Who Started Company’s First Union

Mars square Jupiter January 23, 2021 @ 1:49 AM CT (7:49 GMT) Someone wants you to know that you are ready to conquer your perceived limits to arrive at expansion in your thoughts, feelings, emotions and understanding today.

Waxing gibbous into Cancer January 25, 2021 @ 12:51 PM CT (18:51 GMT) It’s a supportive Moon for dreaming for mental health and well being. Begin a dream journal or review your latest dreams, reflecting on them for a few minutes today.

You are opening yourself up to an emotional practice that includes care for yourself in ways no one else (besides you and your connection to the Moon) can provide.

And too my Tarot Dream Readings are open if you would like guidance or support on a particular dream. See my pinned tweet for how it works.

When one’s soul is allowed to lead one’s life, working in the dark shadows, the invisible silence, the soul’s manifesting results are way more lasting and way more powerful than egocentric anything.

Good morning, self! A reminder my ego has never done a thing for me my soul can’t do better.

National Guard Deployment at U.S. Capitol Becomes COVID-19 Superspreader Event

Russia Violently Cracks Down on Protesters Calling for Release of Alexei Navalny

Trump Plotted to Oust Acting AG, Use DOJ to Force Georgia to Overturn Election Results

Hunts Point Market Workers in the Bronx Win Wage Increase After Week-Long Strike

This mourning brooch is a mindful way to mark the death of a loved one while paying tribute to the impact it has had on you. Bring back this Victorian trend!

Veteran Talk Show Host Larry King Dies After Hospitalization for COVID-19

Hank Aaron, Who Overcame Racist Barriers to Become Home Run Record-Holder, Dies at 86

We don’t give our bodies or our intuition enough attention and nourishment a lot of the time, so today’s the day we practice finding and sitting quietly with our inner voice.

~* Full Moon Jan. 28 1:17 PM CT (19:17 UTC) *~

House Delivers Article of Impeachment to Senate, Triggering Trump’s Second Trial

Dominion Voting Systems Sues Rudy Giuliani for Lying About 2020 Election

President Biden Increases U.S. Vaccination Goal to 150 Million Shots in 100 Days

President Biden Reverses Trump’s Transgender Military Service Ban

Biden Restores Plan to Feature Abolitionist Harriet Tubman on $20 Bill

Value is further added the more you mint your words with a most whole and complete love. Love is the greatest asset we can let appreciate in our lifetimes.

This Full Moon tomorrow sends a flash point that reminds you to circulate this wealth because it’s the greatest emotional gift we can bestow upon our loved ones, family, friends, neighbors, elders, members of our community, etc.

Venus conjunct Pluto in Capricorn January 28, 2021 @ 10:18 AM CT (16:18 GMT) Going through your day today uncovers a forgotten desire or creative goal. You find yourself asking something like: Remember when I wanted to become a pastry chef?

Although you decided to pursue a different course, take a moment to focus on and honor this memory when it arrives and then release it. What did you become instead and why?

45 Senate Republicans Back Dismissal of Trump Impeachment Trial

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene Supported Violence Against Pelosi and Others in 2018 Facebook Posts

Taking the time to recognize and honor your past desires gives the respect these memories deserve and it integrates them into the whole wider scene of the individual, both shadow and light on your path builds confidence in your steps, confidence in yourself.

You are who you are for a reason.

Had no idea how literal this grassroots King of Pentacles card was gonna materialize today, but here it is folks! When a subreddit takes down a hedge fund!

Leader of Proud Boys, Enrique Tarrio, Was a Government Informer

U.S. Freezes Arms Sales to Saudi Arabia, Reviews Deal with UAE Made Under Trump Admin

Poland Enacts Near-Total Ban on Abortions, Triggering More Protests

Honduras Locks In Total Ban on Abortions, Attacks Marriage Equality

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene Confronts Parkland Survivor David Hogg in Newly Resurfaced Video

The stock market this morning: Sh*t! Normal working class people read the market and figured out the game! Time to change the rules again. Let’s write it in ancient Babylonian hieroglyphs this time. They’ll never figure that sh*t out.

A message crucial to promote the awareness of your personal role in the collective will become evident over the next three weeks. You will come to ask yourself, What am I doing with my life?

If you aren’t familiar or comfortable with seeking your inner journey, then the greatest clue I can offer you at the start is to become open to the invisible world within you. How you learn to relate to it is completely personal and uniquely your own

Speaking in more concrete terms the next few weeks may manifest a life event for you where you must apply both logic and feeling in order to arrive at a satisfactory conclusion concerning an interpersonal relationship or the question what am I doing with my life?

This Mercury retrograde should be a cinch, but during it don’t buy tech if you don’t have to. And remember to triple check communication before hitting send. If you arrive at conflict be quick to apologize and say no more until tomorrow 

President Biden Expands Affordable Care Act Enrollment Amid COVID-19 Pandemic

House Speaker Blasts GOP for Assigning Racist Conspiracy Theorist to House Education Committee

Lawmakers Demand Probe into Trading App Robinhood After It Blocked Stock Sales That Hurt Hedge Funds

Pioneering African American Actor Cicely Tyson, Winner of Two Emmys, Dies at 96

Sun in Aquarius square Mars in Taurus February 1, 2021 @ 4:33 AM CT (10:33 GMT) The warrior’s edge has melted away and now you can take the scenic route through a field of wildflowers and mushrooms instead of blasting your way through a hillside of obstacles.

This energy catalyzes a scene that supports growth through varied experiences and it encourages everyone to seek their own way to resolutions, conclusions and understandings that are uniquely their own. Searching out your own way illuminates a strategic aspect of your purpose.

Happy Venus in Aquarius! The idea to refresh your wardrobe, hairstyle or redecorating by public opinion can be too hard to ignore under this influence. Your personal style will be influenced by the collective for the duration.

Burmese Military Stage Coup, Detain Aung San Suu Kyi

FBI Uncovers Evidence Jan. 6 Attack Was Premeditated as More Far-Right Rioters Face Charges

Trump Faces More Businesses-Related Woes as His Legal Team Departs a Week Before Impeachment Trial

It’s only the 21st day of the lunar cycle and already we’ve gone from the end of a rotten presidential era to the people’s revolution of the stock market, ok? And this moon ain’t even finished yet!

~* Last Quarter Feb. 4 11:38 AM CT (17:38 UTC) *~

U.S. Tops 26 Million COVID-19 Vaccine Shots, Surpassing Confirmed Coronavirus Cases

Moon Last Quarter in Scorpio February 4, 2021 @ 11:38 AM CT (17:38 UTC) A time for Descending, settling, closure, receiving compliments for doing a good job. Prime time for tying of loose ends and wrapping up unfinished business.

Democrats Say Trump “Singularly Responsible” for Jan. 6 Insurrection in Impeachment Brief

With consciousness humans are able to transcend the unconscious and reconfigure our relationship to it.

Though we can transcend the unconscious through viewing ourselves objectively, we are still apart of the the unconscious. Those rules still apply to us even as we contemplate their logic.

Jeff Bezos Steps Down as Amazon CEO After Amassing Huge Personal Fortune

Amazon to Pay Contract Drivers $61.7 Million After FTC Probe Finds It Stole Tips to Pay Wages

Republican Leader Won’t Punish Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene over Racist and Violent Rhetoric

Prosecutors Seek Rearrest of Kyle Rittenhouse, Wisconsin Teen Charged with Killing 2 Protesters

Sometimes the right thing to do is protect your one actual valuable thing not by defending it, but closing up all the channels the valuable thing is being attacked from the outside. Sometimes you just gotta block, delete or remove your account and move on with/to what's good.

What if we wake up one day and COVID has disappeared, like poof! It vanished into thin air? Maybe it’s the moon opposed to Uranus that’s got me wishing wild problem solvers would pop up overnight.

Poll Reveals 25% of U.S. Adults Plan to Gather at Super Bowl Watch Parties

VP Harris Casts Tie-Breaking Vote to Move Ahead with Democratic COVID Relief Bill

House Removes Marjorie Taylor Greene from Committees over Violent, Bigoted Rhetoric

Smartmatic Sues Fox News, Rudy Giuliani, Sidney Powell for Election-Related Lies

I unfollowed some lawmakers this morning after feeling second hand anxiety over the handling of their interpersonal conflicts. Realized they were me on IG two years ago and I’ve moved on since. Can relate, but don’t wanna relive, thanks!

I just want to let y’all know that I’m coping w insufficient candle syndrome & will be studying the art & science of candle making to save myself potentially hundreds of thousands of $$ by making my own delicious smelling coconut wax babies in diy terra cotta flower pots.

Wyoming GOP Censures Rep. Liz Cheney for Backing Trump’s Impeachment

Mass Protests Continue in Burma Opposing Military Coup, Removal of Aung San Suu Kyi

You may tell others like it is today, but hopefully this inspires you to check in with yourself and be honest/come clean about something you've been overlooking.

Indian Farmworkers Blockade Roads as Mass Protests Show No Sign of Slowing Down

Black Sheriff’s Deputy in Louisiana Dies by Suicide After Condemning Police Violence and Racism

Amazon Workers in Alabama Begin Historic Vote on Unionization

Second Impeachment Trial of Donald J. Trump Opens in the Senate

Georgia’s Secretary of State to Probe Trump’s Efforts to Overturn 2020 Election

Mercury square Mars February 10, 2021 @ 6:14 AM CT (12:14 UTC) Still talking about talking, it’s also Dark Moon time to shape or let a habit form. This practice can come from breaking free of outdated relationships with yourself or with others in order to spur growth.

Dreamed Jungkook was correcting my pronunciation of Korean last night. I’m sorry! I’ll try harder to take this lesson seriously

Senate Votes to Proceed with Impeachment as Managers Present Harrowing Video of Jan. 6 Insurrection

Gov’t to Send Vaccines to Community Health Centers as U.S. Continues Ramping Up Vaccinations

WHO Team Confirms COVID-19 of Animal Origin; Ghana Shuts Parliament After Outbreak Infects Lawmakers

Journalists Decry Raid on Progressive Indian News Site NewsClick

U.S. to Pursue Extradition of Julian Assange as Press Freedom Groups Warn of Dangerous Precede

Fossil Fuel Pollution Causes One in Five Global Deaths

Four Louisiana Officers Arrested over Police Brutality Cases and Other Misconduct

Two NYT Journalists Exit Paper Following Revelations of Improper Conduct

Venus conjunct Jupiter February 11, 2021 @ 8:59 AM CT (14:59 UTC) Receive the overflow of creativity into your life. Welcome it even if you aren’t sure what to do with it. Write down project ideas if you don’t have the energy to start on them now. You can work on them later.

I'm cool with double masking, but a lot of folks still aren't even doing the one :|

“The Inciter-in-Chief”: Democrats Accuse Trump of Being “Singularly Responsible” for Insurrection

U.S. COVID Death Toll Tops 471,000; Half of All Deaths Occurred Since Nov. 1

Saudi Women’s Rights Activist Loujain al-Hathloul Released After 1,001 Days in Prison

Biden Administration to Continue Trump-Era Policy of Turning Away Asylum Seekers at Southern Border

Sen. Bernie Sanders Grills Neera Tanden, Biden’s Pick to Head OMB

Sen. Bernie Sanders: “According to The Washington Post, since 2014, the Center for American Progress has received roughly $5.5 million from Walmart, a company that pays its workers starvation wages; $900,000 from the Bank of America; $550,000 from JPMorgan Chase; $550,000 from Amazon; $200,000 from Wells Fargo; $800,000 from Facebook; and up to $1.4 million from Google. In other words, CAP has received money from some of the most powerful special interests in our country. How will your relationship with those very powerful special interests impact your decision-making if you are appointed to be the head of OMB?”

Neera Tanden: “Senator, I thank you for that question. It will have zero impact on my — on my decision-making.”

[blackkudos]

William Still

William Still (October 7, 1821 – July 14, 1902) was an African-American abolitionist in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, conductor on the Underground Railroad, businessman, writer, historian and civil rights activist. Before the American Civil War, Still was chairman of the Vigilance Committee of the Pennsylvania Anti-Slavery Society, and directly aided fugitive slaves and kept records to help families reunite. After the war, he remained an important businessman and philanthropist, as well as used his meticulous records to write an account of the underground system and the experiences of many refugee slaves, entitled The Underground Railroad Records(1872).

Family

William Still was born October 7, 1821 (or November 1819), in Shamong Township, Burlington County, New Jersey to Sidney (later renamed Charity) and Levin Still. His parents had come to New Jersey separately. First, his father bought his freedom in 1798 from his master in Caroline County, Maryland on the Eastern Shore and moved north to New Jersey.

His mother, Charity, escaped twice from Maryland. The first time, she and four children were all recaptured and returned to slavery. A few months later, Charity escaped again, taking only her two younger daughters with her and reached her husband in New Jersey. Following her escape, Charity and Levin had 14 more children, of whom William was the youngest. Though these children were born in the free state of New Jersey, under Maryland and federal slave law, they were still legally slaves, as their mother was an escaped slave. According to New Jersey law, they were free.

However, neither Charity nor Levin could free their older boys, who remained enslaved. Levin, Jr. and Peter Still were sold from Maryland to slave owners in Lexington, Kentucky. Later they were resold to planters in Alabama in the Deep South. Levin, Jr. died from a whipping while enslaved. Peter and most of his family escaped from slavery when he was about age 50, with the help of two brothers named Friedman, who operated mercantile establishments in Florence, Alabama, and Cincinnati, Ohio. They were the subject of a book published in 1856. Peter Still sought help at the Pennsylvania Anti-Slavery Society to find his parents or other members of his birth family. Thus he met William Still, but had no idea they were related. However, William listened to Peter's story, and recognized the history his mother had told him many times. After learning that his older brother Levin was whipped to death for visiting his wife without permission, William shouted, "What if I told you I was your brother!" Later Peter and his mother were reunited after having been separated for 42 years.

Another of William's brothers was James Still. Born in New Jersey in 1812, James wanted to become a doctor but said he "was not the right color to enter where such knowledge was dispensed." James studied herbs and plants and apprenticed himself to a white doctor to learn medicine. He became known as the "Black Doctor of the Pines", as he lived and practiced in the Pine Barrens. James's son, James Thomas Still, completed his dream, graduating from Harvard Medical School in 1871.

William’s other siblings included Levin, Jr.; Peter; James; Samuel; Mary, a teacher and missionary in the African Methodist Episcopal Church; Mahala (who married Gabriel Thompson); and Kitturah, who moved to Pennsylvania.

Marriage and children

In 1844, William Still moved from New Jersey to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In 1847, the year he was hired as a clerk for the Pennsylvania Society for the Abolition of Slavery, Still married Letitia George. They had four children who survived infancy. Their oldest was Caroline Virginia Matilda Still (1848–1919), a pioneer female medical doctor. Caroline attended Oberlin College and the Women's Medical College of Philadelphia (much later known as the Medical College of Pennsylvania). She married Edward J. Wyley and, after his death, the Reverend Matthew Anderson, longtime pastor of the Berean Presbyterian Church in North Philadelphia. She had an extensive private medical practice in Philadelphia and was also a community activist, teacher and leaders .

William Wilberforce Still (1854–1932) graduated from Lincoln University and subsequently practiced law in Philadelphia. Robert George Still (1861–1896) became a journalist and owned a print shop on Pine at 11th Street in central Philadelphia. Frances Ellen Still (1857–1943) became a kindergarten teacher (she was named after poet Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, who had lived with the Stills before her marriage). According to the 1900 U.S. Census, William W., his wife, and Frances Ellen all lived in the same household as the elderly William Still and his wife, confirming the custom that extended families lived together.

Activism

Abolitionism

In 1847, three years after settling in Philadelphia, Still began working as a clerk for the Pennsylvania Anti-Slavery Society. When Philadelphia abolitionists organized a Vigilance Committee to directly aid escaped slaves who had reached the city, Still became its chairman. By the 1850s, Still was one of the leaders of Philadelphia's African-American community.

In 1855, he participated in the nationally covered rescue of Jane Johnson, a slave who sought help from the Society in gaining freedom while passing through Philadelphia with her master John Hill Wheeler, newly appointed US Minister to Nicaragua. Still and others liberated her and her two sons under Pennsylvania law, which held that slaves brought to the free state voluntarily by a slaveholder could choose freedom. Her master sued him and five other African Americans for assault and kidnapping in a high-profile case in August 1855. Jane Johnson returned to Philadelphia from New York and testified in court as to her independence in choosing freedom, winning acquittal for Still and four others, and reduced sentences for the last two.

In 1859, Still challenged the segregation of the city's public transit system, which had separate seating for whites and blacks. He kept lobbying and, in 1865, the Pennsylvania legislature passed a law to integrate streetcars across the state.

Underground Railroad

Often called "The Father of the Underground Railroad", Still helped as many as 800 slaves escape to freedom. He interviewed each person and kept careful records, including a brief biography and the destination for each, along with any alias adopted. He kept his records carefully hidden but knew the accounts would be critical in aiding the future reunion of family members who became separated under slavery, which he had learned when he aided his own brother Peter, whom he had never met before.

Still worked with other Underground Railroad agents operating in the South, including in Virginia ports, nearby Delaware and Maryland, and in many counties in southern Pennsylvania. His network to freedom also included agents in New Jersey, New York, New England and Canada. Conductor Harriet Tubman traveled through his office with fellow passengers on several occasions during the 1850s. Still also forged a connection with the family of John Brown, and sheltered several of Brown's associates fleeing the 1859 raid on Harpers Ferry.

American Civil War and aftermath

During American Civil War, Still operated the post exchange at Camp William Penn, the training camp for United States Colored Troops north of Philadelphia. He also opened a stove store and, in 1861 bought a coal yard and operated a coal delivery business, which continued after the war.

In 1867, Still published A Brief Narrative of the Struggle for the Rights of Colored People of Philadelphia in the City Railway Cars.

In 1872, Still published an account of the Underground Railroad, The Underground Railroad Records, based on the carefully recorded secret notes he had kept in diaries during those years. His book includes his impressions of station masters such as Thomas Garrett, Daniel Gibbons and Abigail Goodwin. It went through three editions and in 1876 was displayed at the Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition. Historians have since used it to understand how the Underground Railroad worked; both Project Gutenberg and the Internet archive make the text freely available.

Businessman and philanthropist

After the war, Still continued as an active businessman, philanthropist and social activist in the Philadelphia metropolitan areas.

In addition to the ongoing coal business, Still owned considerable real estate, including Liberty Hall, for some time the largest public hall in the US owned by a black man. He owned stock in the journal the Nation, was a member of Philadelphia's Board of Trade, and financed and was officer of the Social and Civil Statistical Association of Philadelphia (which in part tracked freed people).

Still also remained active in the Colored Conventions Movement, having attended national conventions including the New England Colored Citizens' Convention of 1859, where Still advocated equal educational opportunities for all African Americans. He also advocated temperance. He was a member of the Freedmen's Aid Union and Commission, an officer of the Philadelphia Home for the Aged and Infirm Colored Persons, and an elder in the Presbyterian church (where he established Sabbath Schools to promote literacy including among freed blacks).

He had a strong interest in the welfare of black youth. He helped to establish an orphanage and the first YMCA for African Americans in Philadelphia. In addition to continuing as member of the board for the Soldiers and Sailors Orphan Home and the Home for the Destitute Colored Children, Still became a trustee at Storer College.

Death, legacy and honors

William Still died on July 14, 1902, survived by his wife Letitia and daughter Caroline, as well as grandchildren and other relatives. He was buried in Eden Cemetery in Collingdale, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, as would later be his wife and daughter. Founded just a month before Still's death, Eden Cemetery is now the nation's oldest African-American owned cemetery, and on the National Register of Historic Places since 2010.

Descendants

Family members donated his papers, including personal papers 1865-1899, to the Charles L. Blockson Afro-American Collection at Temple University Library, where they remain accessible to researchers.

Brothers Peter, James and William Still later moved with their families to Lawnside, New Jersey, a community developed and owned by African Americans in Camden County, New Jersey across the Delaware River from Philadelphia. To this day, their descendants have an annual family reunion every August. Notable members of the Still family include the composer William Grant Still, professional WNBA basketball player Valerie Still, professional NFL defensive end Art Still, and professional NFL defensive tackle Devon Still.

National Underground Railroad Network

In 1997, Congress passed H.R. 1635, which President Bill Clinton signed into law, and which authorized the United States National Park Service to establish the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom program to identify associated sites and popularize the Underground Railroad. This also affirmed Still's national importance as a leading Underground Railroad agent in a major center of abolition.

In popular culture

Actor Robert Hooks portrayed Still in A Woman Called Moses, the 1978 miniseries that is based upon the life of abolitionist Harriet Tubman.

Actor Ron O'Neal portrayed a fictional version of Still in the 1985 miniseries, North and South.

Stand by the River (2003), a musical based on Still's life and rescue of Jane Johnson, was written and composed by Joanne and Mark Sutton-Smith. It has been produced in New York and Chicago, and at universities and other venues across the country.

Actor Chris Chalk portrayed a fictional version of Still on the WGN America period drama TV series, Underground.

Wikipedia

[orbemnews]

Archaeologists discover homesite owned by Harriet Tubman's father Archaeologists discover homesite owned by Harriet Tubman’s father Historic artifacts date back to early to mid 1800s Updated: 11:10 AM EDT Apr 20, 2021 Hide Transcript Show Transcript Good morning. Mhm. I hope everyone is enjoying this beautiful spring. My name is need a subpoena. I am the superintendent of the Maryland park Service and it is my great pleasure to welcome all of you to the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad State Park. Since opening its doors in 2017, we have welcomed hundreds of thousands of visitors from around the world to learn about the remarkable life of Harriet Tubman. I think you would all agree that the park looks beautiful on this spring day. And I just like to thank and acknowledge our staff in the back there. Who were waving you in as you joined us. Thank you guys. Okay, okay, of course. Led by our wonderful park manager ranger, Dana Patera, This state park, this National Historical Park. This visitor center interprets the legacy of Harriet Tubman as a courageous conductor, Liberator and humanitarian in the resistance movement of the Underground Railroad. Many partners, all dedicated to preserving the legacy of Harriet Tubman played a key role in making this park a reality and many are represented here. Today. We would like to acknowledge our partners and distinguished guests including Boyd Rutherford, Lieutenant governor, the state of Maryland, Jeannie Haddaway Rikio Secretary Maryland, Department of Natural Resources, Greg slater Secretary Maryland, Department of Transportation, Marcia, pray Dean’s project leader, U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Chesapeake marshlands, National Wildlife Refuge Complex, Diane Miller, National Program Manager, National Park Service, National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Deanna Mitchell Superintendent Harriet tubman Underground Railroad, National Historical Park, Liz fitzsimmons, Managing director Maryland, Department of Commerce, Office of Tourism and Film. Dr julie schablitsky, chief archaeologist Maryland, Department of Transportation, State Highway Administration. MS Tina Wyatt Harriet tubman’s great, great great grannies, herschel johnson, a local community historian representing Harriet tubman organization and also caretaker of the lovely Stanley Institute and state senator. Eddie Eckerd representing Caroline dorchester, talbot and Wicomico counties, delegate chris Adams, Representative for congressman, Harris, keith gravy, gravy as representative for senator Ben Cardin kim crowd of ill and also we have a representative here from the ah city council of Cambridge. So thank you all for joining us. Today. We gather here because our discovery and understanding of the life and times of Harriet tubman continues to be revealed and continues to inspire us and with that I am pleased to present our first speaker Lieutenant Governor Boyd Rutherford, the lieutenant governor is someone uh we have gotten to know at the Maryland park service. Our staff has welcomed him to dozens of state parks as he continues his, what I like to call is odyssey to visit all of the state parks in Maryland and promote them most recently. Last week when he kicked off our first ever state parks week. Lieutenant Governor Boyd Rutherford was elected to office with governor Larry Hogan in 2014 and re elected in 2018. He is an accomplished attorney with a lifetime of experience in both public and private service, including the U. S. General Service Administration, U. S. Department of Agriculture and his secretary of the Maryland Department of General Services. In addition to his public service, he has extensive legal and business experience, including service and business and government law, information technology, sales and small and minority business development. As lieutenant governor, he has been a strong partner with Governor Hogan, leading the administration’s efforts to combat the opioid epidemic reform, burdensome regulations on job creators, uh break the cycle of poverty between family generations. And he has also led the state’s efforts to modernize procurement, improve the mental health delivery system and make Maryland a national leader in the implementation of the federal opportunity zones program. The lieutenant governor attended the dedication of the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad State Park in 2017 and joins us today for this momentous occasion. Please welcome Lieutenant Governor Rutherford. Good morning and thank you Superintendent uh, Latina. Every time I hear that bio, I feel older and older every day. But you know, it’s a beautiful day here. Uh, it’s always beautiful day on the eastern shore. And so it’s great to be here at the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historic Park here in Dorchester County. And it brings me great joy to highlight a historic fine that that takes, that took a significant investment on the part of the state of Maryland. Our federal partners, historians and others who seek to preserve our, our history for the last year, archaeologists at the State Department of Transportation, State Highway Administration have searched the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge for a site where Harriet Tubman’s father, Ben Ross, once lived in november. They found signs that indicated that they were on the right track and a breakthrough occurred in March, Archaeologists uncovered evidence of a home site and its historic artifacts dating back to the early 1800s, early to mid 1800s. Today, I’m excited to announce that our archaeologists have confirmed that this site was once the home of Ben Ross and may have been where Harriet Tubman spent her early years. I want to share a little more about what we have learned about Ben Ross and his life on the eastern shore of Maryland. For several years. We believe that mr ross harvested trees on the property and sold the timber and the timber was then transported two shipyards by free Black Mariners to use to make ships in Baltimore. Harriet Tubman worked alongside her father as a teenager and historians believe that Tubman learned to navigate the land and waterways she would later traverse to lead enslaved people to freedom. The discovery of Ben rosters. Cabinet is a major fine and I’m proud that julie Schablitsky and her team of archaeologists at the Maryland Department of Transportation, we’re able to use their hard work and dedication to make this project a reality. And yes, the Department of Transportation does have archaeologists on staff and they are scientists who lend their expertise and planning in planning infrastructure in order to avoid disturbing structures, cemeteries and other significant historic areas. In that process. Their commitment to their work is illustrated by their willingness to brave the elements and other obstacles to preserve the nation’s history. And the State Department of Transportation also supports archaeological projects that chronicle how transportation systems and communities have evolved over time so that we can share those stories with the public and save precious remnants of our history. Maryland is full of history from the mountains of western Maryland to the beaches of the eastern shore. The addition of Ben Ross’s homesite to the Harriet Tubman by way, will bring a boost to Dor Dorchester County visitors and historical significance to this area. This discovery adds to another puzzle piece in the story of Harriet tubman, the state of Maryland and our nation. It is important that we continue to uncover parts of our history that we can learn from, especially when we can do this before time and other forces wash it away. I hope that this latest success story can inspire similar efforts and help strengthen our partnerships in the future. Thank you very much. Yeah, thank you. Lieutenant Governor. Our next speaker is a valued partner of the Harriet tubman Underground Railroad State Park and National Historical Park Marcia up ratings. Marcia is the project leader of the Chesapeake Marshlands National Wildlife Refuge complex with the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Since joining us on the Eastern Shore five years ago, she has focused on strengthening relationships with the community, helping new audiences engage with the outdoors through programs like mentored hunts and finding the connections between people and wildlife that make conservation successful. Please welcome Miss Marcia proteins. Thank you so much, Nita and thank you everybody for joining us here today. Yes, shocking. I was going to make some joke but I decided not to Thank you when I first started here. Not quite five years ago, I was so excited about the prospects ahead of me. Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge is a magnet for residents all over the Maryland, D. C. Virginia area and even all over the globe. We have 30,000 acres of wildlife habitat that attract people as well as wildlife. But I was most excited about the potential to invite new audiences to the refuge to learn how conservation is valuable, not only to wildlife but also to people history, into the landscape that made us all who we are today. The future of conservation lies in the hands of people and it must have value to everyone when we can serve habitat. We also conserve the stories of those who came before us, like Harriet Tubman’s father, Ben Ross, and all the others whose names we may never ever hear about. And that worked alongside of him in the marshes and the forests of the refuge with the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Visitors Center is our immediate neighbour. We have an opportunity to welcome even more people and to do more together than any of us could do alone. The Peters Neck property has been an extremely important piece for the refuge to acquire ever since. Our comprehensive conservation plan was first written all the way back in 2000 and six, With rising sea levels, increased storms, loss of habitat, its value to us only increased. The area is predicted to naturally convert to marsh, with parts remaining forested all the way into the year 20 100. The 2600 acre parcel was bought for $6 million dollars, But not with taxpayer dollars. It was bought by dollars from those waterfowl hunters and birders who bought the federal duck stamp for only $25 each, and offshore oil and gas leases from the land and water conservation fund. So this is a major investment in conservation and outdoor recreation right here in Dorchester County. But we also heard that perhaps just perhaps Ben Ross’s Homestead might be on the parcel, we weren’t sure. But with that in mind, before we even stepped onto the property, we began discussions about what to do next with the state park and with the National Park Service, Thankfully, Maryland stepped up to meet the very first challenge before us to begin the search for what they call Ben’s 10. I don’t think they knew what they were getting into here with our outrageous mosquitoes that call us home. Yes, the relentless flooding from rain and tied. Yes. And the mud that results, we can’t thank them enough for their hard work and their dedication in the field. All of those weeks in october and then again in april In less than one year from when we purchased the site. The crew has indeed found Ben’s 10. And just in time as the river rises, invaluable, bits of the story were about to be lost forever. What happens next is just as exciting, but we need a team to make it reality. We opened the parcel to hunting already, but before doing so we set aside a potential trail system for interpretation with the help of our partners. Should we be able to secure path forward to improve the roads to the area for the public hand in hand with our partners in Maryland, Department of Natural Resources and the National Park Service. We have a big vision that we’re excited to find a way to fulfill for conservation of our natural and cultural resources. When land is treated well, it is many values including wildlife and fish, habitat, sustainable timber, storm buffers, water quality, soil, health, recreation and even history. And when it comes to cultural history. This land has rich stories to tell from the native americans who first walked here harvesting from the woods in the river to Ben ross, teaching his daughter how to manage timber or even fred Bensley Maryland’s first state forester who owned this land and stayed in his family up until the point that we required it. We want to honor those stories And help create new stories from a refuge hunter who hears a sick of bugle before dawn in October two. A birdwatcher hiking the trail that we plan to bill perhaps hearing their very first pine warbler in spring or a family that comes to visit to immerse themselves in what the landscape was like when Harriet tubman was growing into the strong woman, she was to become Together, we will nurture all of these stories yet to be written. Thank you. Yeah. Okay. thank you Marcia. I was sitting there listening to your remarks and the birds uh surrounding us. I could hear eagles. Uh we are so fortunate to be surrounded by your your refuge. So thank you for your conservation service. It is now my pleasure to introduce dr Shuli julie Schablitsky, Otherwise known as I understand it very fondly by her colleagues. As Dr julie. She is the chief archaeologist at the Maryland Department of Transportation, State Highway Administration. She is noted for her Maryland research on african american sites and the recovery of D. N. A from artifacts. In her role, she oversees archaeologists and architectural historians who managed projects for the Department of Transportation as well as local governments. Uh We recently partnered with the Maryland Department of Transportation and dr julie on several archaeology projects, including most recently at Newtown Next State Park, which is in southern Maryland, where dr Schablitsky is. Recent archaeological survey discovered a 300 year old slave quarters on a former Jesuit plantation that is part of Newtown Next state Park. And the lieutenant Governor and the Secretary and myself had an opportunity to meet you there and see the artifacts, some of the artifacts she recovered. Um It is really my pleasure to welcome dr julie Schablitsky whose work has made today possible. Thank you. Okay, thank you. So right before Covid hit, I got this call from Marcia and she said we just aren’t going to be being going to acquire some property that may have Ben’s 10 on it. And I asked I said what’s Ben’s 10? And she said, well it’s where Harriet tubman’s father lived and we believe that it could be in this location that we found. But we’re not sure. And I said all right, you know, this sounds like a great opportunity. We could, if we find it, put it on the heritage and underground railroad. By way, it would be a great way to share it with the public because that’s what we do. We have a stewardship program at m dot that also we have the ability to share it with the public. So we plan to going out in March. But of course everything shut down. And finally, in august the hottest time of the year and the worst time to be in a swamp is the time we decided to all gather together. So, so Marcia ratings, Ray Patera, um, dana terra, Deana Mitchell in my archaeology colleague and and um partner in Crime Aaron Leventhal. We all met out there and Peter’s neck with our mosquito netting on and our rubber boots to our knees in our four wheel drive vehicles. And we went out there when we began to look at the property and its wooded. It’s very wet, it’s very buggy. And I I was inspired. I thought, you know, we can find this if it’s here, we’re going to find it. And they’re like, yeah, that’s the spirit. But then in the back of my head I’m like, I don’t know, it’s really wet and you know when you dig holes, it’s muddy and you have to push all that that stuff through those screens, looking for little bits of broken things. You know, how can we possibly find this site? But we decided to do it anyway. So um trials in hand shovels at our side, rubber boots on. We decided to go out in november of last year. So How do we know where to even begin? Well, we know that in 1836, Anthony Thompson’s will and he was a person who enslaved Ben Ross. He put in there. That and five years from his death that that Ben would be monumental, freed and be given 10 acres. So that’s where you get that. Ben’s 10. So those 10 acres or where he was supposed to live, but where in this place? Would would it be? Not only with the will, but also some land deeds over time began to mention old bends place alongside the road in this location by the water and putting those clues together, we had a search area and within that search area we began to bring a dozen archaeologist along the roadways and dig hole after hole after hole after 1000 holes, I was getting a little frustrated. I’m like, where is this place? And then I thought, well, I have one more tool in my toolkit and that’s a military doctor. I’m gonna go and see if I can go out and find perhaps nails that are social with a building. So within five minutes I’m jumping inside the road with my mellow detector. I got this beep beep beep and I and I dug it out and it looked like a shock. I thought this was a shotgun shell signature. But no and I dug. And what came up was this coin from 1808, A 50 Cent Liberty, ironically had 50 cent piece. And this to me was my clue that we’re getting close 1808 was Ben Ross and rick Green. Harriet’s parents date that they were married and began their family. So I thought alright we’re gonna keep going. So we got to the end near the road and began to find little broken bits of ceramics. These are the calling cards to the archaeologist that you’re getting two something old, something important. But guess what? We found this in the last few days of the project, We ran out of time, ran out of money and our time was up. But we were inspired to come back yet again. So we came back last month with more archaeologists in tow and with our rubber boots and it wasn’t quite as wet and the bugs still weren’t out. And so we had, we felt inspired. So we went out to the location and began to to our little small holes that we used to find sites began to be dug larger sites, five ft by five ft units and each unit that we dug revealed more and more information artifacts dating to the first half of the 19th century because that’s what we’re looking for. But we also want to know, not only do we have a domestic site where someone live, but where is the building? Where is the home? Where’s the cabin? And what would that look like? Well, luckily enough, in fact, there’s a brick right there. That’s from Ben Ross’s cabin. He probably had a building set on brick piers. And within that associated with that site, we’re finding drawer pulls from his bureau. We’re finding a button from his shirt. We’re finding pipe bowls and pipe stems from what he smoked all that in this location. But was it old enough? Ben was there in 1830s 1840s. So we looked at the artifacts closer and confirm that these artifacts due date to the time period he was living there. So how do we know that? We have it? How are we? Sure. Well, we looked everywhere. We could with that search here. And the only thing, Only space that told us that this could be at something from the early 19th century is where the place that we have found. So with that, with the artifacts, the archaeology, the evidence of a building and just the location. Knowing he worked in in the timber wetlands. Those multiple lines of evidence tell us unequivocally that this is the home of Ben Ross. So why is this find important? Well, as someone who knows something about Harriet tubman, um I always thought, well, is this everything we’re ever going to learn? How do we learn more? And sometimes the answer is archaeology. When we’re able to find an extra sites, additional sites out of their people who inspired her, who gave that lesson of integrity and perseverance. Like her father, It’s not only it takes her kind of in a situation and puts her as a daughter as a child, as someone who is standing on the shoulder of a giant her father. And I think that kind of gives us that um excitement that we can learn more about Harriet tubman through her, her parents. We can learn more about the people who taught her how to navigate, negotiate through places like wetlands and woods. So I think that’s what’s important. We have also just begin to excavate that location. We’re keeping it private and so that no one will disturb it. But we want to return back because we want to learn more. What did, what did he eat? What did he have in his home? How big was this site? So all those questions have yet to be answered. And so we’re going to be able to learn more. Now the thing is, it’s great that archaeologists are out in this, in this marshland looking for this important site, but it means nothing if we don’t have a descendant community with us. So from the beginning we did have Herschell johnson who’s here today. He’s the local community member and historian. He was well this to help inspire us and help and have us reach out to the community. We have been able to make contact with Douglas Mitchell who’s in Washington state. Probably hopefully watching right now. He’s a descendant. He’s a great great great great grandson of Ben Ross. We also have Tina White here with us today and she’s the great great great grand niece of Harriet tubman and great great great great great grand daughter of Ben Ross. And while we’re out there every day I was sending them photographs of the things that would pop up a prettily painted piece of ceramic went through their phone for my phone to their phone. So in a way they were sitting on my shoulder, looking over my shoulder as we’re beginning to pull these things out of the earth and that is the reason we do this. It’s great for marylanders but it’s also very important that we’re in a way creating memories and giving them photographs of their family and their families items. So without thought any more talk about archaeology and I’m happy to have to answer questions later, but I’d like to introduce um Tina Wyatt, the descendant of Harriet Tubman and Ben Ross. Okay, yeah, greetings to you, Lieutenant Governor and to all those working in the Maryland State Department and it’s great to be here. I love coming down here. Um ever since that we, you know, had the opening and before we had the opening, it was just a wonderful place to be for something that occurred that was so horrific to my people. This place is so peaceful and so calm and I just love it. I love just coming standing out here and I’m just looking around and knowing that you know, this was a part of her life, the beginnings of her life and knowing that it’s and the other thing that is so wonderful about it is that it’s pretty much untouched from the time that she was here, that he was here. So we’re able to really see what she saw here, what she heard and look and just feel the environment. She embraced this environment, not her circumstances but the environment. And she learned from it. She learned from what her father had to teach her. And he also embraced that environment and made the best of it most of all I want to thank Dr julie yeah, who kept us abreast as family every step. You know, she contacted us even though we couldn’t be here and I wish I could have been here. I would have loved to have been here. Uh, but you know, safety and everything else comes first. So, uh, but she text us, she, she sent pictures as soon as it came. Uh, a parent to her. So it was, it was like, as she described as like we were right there with her, you know, the next best thing. Uh, and it means so much to the family to be able to, to see all of this. And and that’s why I want to thank the state of Maryland for having the vision and also to have to give the support to create this tourist center and also to keep funding things that that relate to it, that keep the story going and expanding because it’s so important not just for family but for, you know, the world to understand about our history, to know what happened and to, and uh, to be able to understand the differences between the different types of plantations and farms and things that existed then. And I think this is part of also what the dig that julie is doing um, shows because when she showed us the fragments of, of some of the plates, things like that. And I looked at him, I said, wow. I asked, I said, this is to me it looks highly decorative. I didn’t expect to see something like this used by enslaved people. I mean because my knowledge of seeing things were, you know, guards and wooden spoons and wooden plates, things like that. But to see that, I said, you know that, that dispels a myth, you know, how is that related, is it related to just this area uh, to this plantation? Was it related because who he was because for him to have been given 10 acres, You know, and, and, and freedom, but mostly that 10 acres, that’s something that’s not common, you know? So was it, was he using those kinds of uh, everyday utensils, uh, to be able to eat off of and use on the data because of who he was, The status that he had within the plantation. Um, we don’t know. And so that’s something that, you know, continues to be explored. And as you come up with more and more artifacts, it tells the story, it expands the story of our family, but also of telling the story of enslaved life, uh, and also afterwards for, you know, for United States and the world to be able to see. So um it also humanizes him. It makes a connection for us as a family to be able to be able to, because julie just showed me the the half dollar And I and 1808 and that’s when they were married. Uh So, you know, it helps me to visualize them getting married. Maybe they, maybe they were given that half dollar. Um and you know, it being there and then they dropped it or something like that. Um you know, making up my own story about what it was. Um And so it also tells me when, when she found the pipe, I said, oh, so he was a pipe smoker, you know, and uh, you know, so that helped me to visualize at the end of his day, did he have time to go and and sit in his cabin and uh, smoke his pipe? You know, sit down and contemplate what he was going to do next? Uh Because for for him to be a supervisor, um for the timbering, that was something unusual as well. But but but but with him being her father, I’m Harriet’s father. He taught her many valuable lessons, things that she used throughout her life, things. She used to liberate herself to liberate others, things that she used when she went down to fight in the civil war that made her so great at what she did. A lot of that came from her father and that knowledge that she uh embraced as she was growing up, no matter what her circumstances were. So, you know, I love you dr julie for being for persevering and being so determined to keep on trying to uncover uh their life story that brings it more of alive to us. Thank you Archaeologists discover homesite owned by Harriet Tubman’s father Historic artifacts date back to early to mid 1800s Updated: 11:10 AM EDT Apr 20, 2021 Archaeologists in Maryland discovered the historic homesite once owned by the father of Harriet Tubman, state officials announced Tuesday.The former home of Tubman’s father, Ben Ross, was discovered on property acquired in 2020 by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as an addition to the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge in Dorchester County. “I am excited to announce our archaeologists have confirmed that this site was once the home of Ben Ross, and may have been where Harriet Tubman spent her early years,” Lt. Gov. Boyd Rutherford said.In November 2020, 11 News reported on how archaeologists were combing through clues found in the Dorchester County woods, looking for Tubman’s birthplace.”A breakthrough occurred in March,” Rutherford said. “Archaeologists uncovered evidence of a homesite and historic artifacts dating back to the early to mid 1800s.”State Highway Administration Chief Archaeologist Dr. Julie Schablitsky and her team found numerous artifacts dating to the 1800s, including nails, brick, glass, dish fragments and a button.See photos from the Maryland Department of Transportation”We looked at those artifacts closer and confirmed that these artifacts do date to the time period when he was living there,” Schablitsky said. “With the artifacts, the archaeology, the evidence of a building, and just the location — knowing he worked in the timbered wetlands — those multiple lines of evidence told us unequivocally that this is the home of Ben Ross.”State officials said the property acquired by the USFWS contains 10 acres bequeathed to Ross by Anthony Thompson in the 1800s. As outlined in Thompson’s will, Ross was to be freed five years after Thompson’s death in 1836. Ross was freed from slavery and received the land in the early 1840s.Tubman was born Araminta Ross in March 1822 on the Thompson Farm near Cambridge in Dorchester County. She and her mother were enslaved by the Brodess family and moved away from the farm when she was a toddler.”The importance of discovering Ben Ross’ cabin here is the connection to Harriet Tubman. She would’ve spent time here as a child, but also she would’ve come back and been living here with her father in her teenage years, working alongside him,” Schablitsky said.Ben Ross felled and sold timber, which was transported by free Black mariners to Baltimore shipyards and used to build ships. Tubman learned to navigate difficult terrain while working with her father. Interacting with mariners also provided knowledge of waterways on the East Coast, which may have helped her lead people to freedom via the Underground Railroad, state officials said.”This was the opportunity she had to learn about how to navigate and survive in the wetlands and the woods. We believe this experience was able to benefit her when she began to move people to freedom,” Schablitsky said.Schablitsky kept in touch with family descendants, sending them photos of what they found as the search was underway.”It means so much to the family to be able to see all of this, and that’s why I want to thank the state of Maryland for having the vision and also to give the support to create this tourist center and also to keep funding things that relate to it and keep the story going and expanding because it’s so important, not just for a family, but for the world to understand about our history, to know what happened,” said Tina Wyatt, Tubman’s great-great-great-grandniece and Ben Ross’ great-great-great-great-granddaughter.The archaeological discovery of Ben Ross’ home site will be highlighted on the historic Thompson Farm where he and his family were enslaved. This new point of interest will be officially added to the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway, designated an All-American Road by the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration. The byway is a 125-mile, self-guided scenic drive that includes more than 30 sites related to Harriet Tubman’s life and legacy.In October 2020, 11 News reported on the team of archaeologists from the Maryland Department of Transportation and St. Mary’s College who unearthed what they believe are slave quarters in Southern Maryland that are more than 300 years old.In September 2020, 11 News reported on the tiny log cabin in Hagerstown that is at the center of a major archaeology dig. Historians and archaeologists figured out the cabin, which was slated for demolition, had major ties to the history of African Americans in Western Maryland.In 2014, 11 News reported about the SHA’s archaeological find in Anne Arundel County that provided a look at life 200 years ago. CHURCH CREEK, Md. — Archaeologists in Maryland discovered the historic homesite once owned by the father of Harriet Tubman, state officials announced Tuesday. The former home of Tubman’s father, Ben Ross, was discovered on property acquired in 2020 by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as an addition to the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge in Dorchester County. “I am excited to announce our archaeologists have confirmed that this site was once the home of Ben Ross, and may have been where Harriet Tubman spent her early years,” Lt. Gov. Boyd Rutherford said. In November 2020, 11 News reported on how archaeologists were combing through clues found in the Dorchester County woods, looking for Tubman’s birthplace. “A breakthrough occurred in March,” Rutherford said. “Archaeologists uncovered evidence of a homesite and historic artifacts dating back to the early to mid 1800s.” State Highway Administration Chief Archaeologist Dr. Julie Schablitsky and her team found numerous artifacts dating to the 1800s, including nails, brick, glass, dish fragments and a button. “We looked at those artifacts closer and confirmed that these artifacts do date to the time period when he was living there,” Schablitsky said. “With the artifacts, the archaeology, the evidence of a building, and just the location — knowing he worked in the timbered wetlands — those multiple lines of evidence told us unequivocally that this is the home of Ben Ross.” State officials said the property acquired by the USFWS contains 10 acres bequeathed to Ross by Anthony Thompson in the 1800s. As outlined in Thompson’s will, Ross was to be freed five years after Thompson’s death in 1836. Ross was freed from slavery and received the land in the early 1840s. Tubman was born Araminta Ross in March 1822 on the Thompson Farm near Cambridge in Dorchester County. She and her mother were enslaved by the Brodess family and moved away from the farm when she was a toddler. “The importance of discovering Ben Ross’ cabin here is the connection to Harriet Tubman. She would’ve spent time here as a child, but also she would’ve come back and been living here with her father in her teenage years, working alongside him,” Schablitsky said. Ben Ross felled and sold timber, which was transported by free Black mariners to Baltimore shipyards and used to build ships. Tubman learned to navigate difficult terrain while working with her father. Interacting with mariners also provided knowledge of waterways on the East Coast, which may have helped her lead people to freedom via the Underground Railroad, state officials said. “This was the opportunity she had to learn about how to navigate and survive in the wetlands and the woods. We believe this experience was able to benefit her when she began to move people to freedom,” Schablitsky said. Schablitsky kept in touch with family descendants, sending them photos of what they found as the search was underway. “It means so much to the family to be able to see all of this, and that’s why I want to thank the state of Maryland for having the vision and also to give the support to create this tourist center and also to keep funding things that relate to it and keep the story going and expanding because it’s so important, not just for a family, but for the world to understand about our history, to know what happened,” said Tina Wyatt, Tubman’s great-great-great-grandniece and Ben Ross’ great-great-great-great-granddaughter. The archaeological discovery of Ben Ross’ home site will be highlighted on the historic Thompson Farm where he and his family were enslaved. This new point of interest will be officially added to the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway, designated an All-American Road by the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration. The byway is a 125-mile, self-guided scenic drive that includes more than 30 sites related to Harriet Tubman’s life and legacy. This content is imported from Twitter. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. “Today, I am excited to announce our archaeologists have confirmed that this site (searched in the Blackwater Wildlife Refuge) was once home to Ben Ross, and may have been where Harriet Tubman spent her early years.” ⁦@MarylandDNR⁩ ⁦@MDOTNews⁩ ⁦@USFWS⁩ pic.twitter.com/Q7P1OuTC1d — Boyd Rutherford (@BoydKRutherford) April 20, 2021 Maryland Department of Transportation Coin found from 1808 that led to more discoveries. In October 2020, 11 News reported on the team of archaeologists from the Maryland Department of Transportation and St. Mary’s College who unearthed what they believe are slave quarters in Southern Maryland that are more than 300 years old. In September 2020, 11 News reported on the tiny log cabin in Hagerstown that is at the center of a major archaeology dig. Historians and archaeologists figured out the cabin, which was slated for demolition, had major ties to the history of African Americans in Western Maryland. In 2014, 11 News reported about the SHA’s archaeological find in Anne Arundel County that provided a look at life 200 years ago. Source link Orbem News #Archaeologists #artifact #BlackwaterNationalWildlifeRefuge #discover #Discovery #dorchestercounty #father #Harriet #harriettubman #HarrietTubmanUndergroundRailroadByway #HarrietTubman’sfather #HarrietTubman’sfatherhome #homesite #Maryland #owned #sha #statehighwayadministration #Tubmans #UndergroundRailroad

[negahc]

March 3rd, 2020

Our interns this semester have done great work already! We are so fortunate to have these dedicated interns, so we’d like to introduce you to them:

Carmen Villacana

“Hello! My name is Carmen Villicana. I’m from Gainesville, GA and I study history education (secondary grades) at the University of North Georgia! I plan on being a high school teacher after graduation and am super eager to learn as much history and as much about the teaching service as I can. Some of my hobbies include watching K-dramas and spending time with my dogs. Pictured is my pup Freddie and me on our way to the beach last summer.”

Ruth Moreno

“Hello! My name is Ruth Moreno, and I am a History Education major at the University of North Georgia. I am one of the Educational Programming interns. I graduated just up the road at Gainesville High School (Go Big Red!) in 2018 and will be going back to be an active volunteer at the Hub. With my degree, I plan to teach middle and high schoolers as well as advance towards earning my Master’s Degree and teaching US citizenship classes.”

We had a great group of students from Spout Springs Elementary visit us for a field trip last week. They got to meet President Abraham Lincoln in the Ivester Education Center, tour our exhibits, and participate in a hands-on corn grinding activity! It was a great example of what the History Center can offer both students and educators. 

By meeting a historic figure through Living History, the students can engage with history in a fun and memorable way. They can ask historic figures the specific questions they’re interested in and then ask an expert historian even more questions for context about the figure’s life. 

Touring our exhibits, we have new tactile-learning activities for children like building a miniature log cabin, conducting a railroad, and more. Our corn grinding activity really puts chores into perspective for the kids ;) and gives them a chance to consider how life was different in the past.

We love having students visit the History Center! The excitement that the students bring with them is contagious and makes our job so much fun. Help spread the word about our programs by telling the parents and teachers in your life about the History Center! More info on our programs at www.negahc.org.

Ida Cox was a native of Toccoa, Georgia born in 1896 who heavily contributed to the blues genre for women. As a teenager, she left her home near Rome, Georgia and toured with a minstrel show and performed at vaudeville venues in the South before becoming a blues singer.

Her repertoire includes songs like Graveyard Dream Blues, Weary Way Blues, Handy Man, and Wild Women Don’t Have the Blues. She wrote the majority of the songs and managed her own successful career. She would eventually be known as the “Uncrowned Queen of the Blues.” In 1939, she performed at Carnegie Hall which lifted her career even higher.

Ida had a stroke in 1945 which inhibited her from continuing to perform as rigorously. She lived in Knoxville, Tennessee with her daughter during this time and continued singing in the church choir. She passed away in 1967 and her legacy remains as modern singers like Francine Reed continue to sing Ida Cox’s music.

We had a Webcast every day last week in the Cottrell Digital Studio! Students of six different schools met Juliette Gordon Low, Martin Luther King Jr., Frederick Douglass, Lewis & Clark, and Harriet Tubman. These are among our most popular characters for Webcasts, and they are always a joy to present.

Libba Beaucham, our Director of Media & Communications, portrays Juliette Low from the year 1920 when Girl Scouts was rapidly growing in popularity (and just starting to consider cookie sales!) Libba loves sharing stories of Juliette’s childhood, especially her love for animals. She retells the story of when Juliette was so concerned for the family cow on a cold winter’s night that she took the guest room blanket and snuck out to tie it around the cow. Well, the next morning the cow was perfectly fine but the blanket was trampled in the mud!

Libba Beaucham portrays Juliette Gordon Low

Martin Luther King Jr. and Frederick Douglass are portrayed by Mustapha Slack. There are parallels to the stories of King and Douglass as they were both activists fighting for freedom, both gifted orators, both faced violence, and both believers in peaceful reform. Students get to hear the personal stories from these figures' lives and are always encouraged to stand up for what they think is right.

Mustapha Slack portrays MLK Jr.

Mustapha Slack portrays Frederick Douglass

Harriet Tubman is portrayed by Chiara Richardson who has a great wealth of knowledge about Tubman’s life having portrayed her for several years now! Chiara is able to answer just about any question the students have for her and truly brings this heroic figure to life for the students.

Chiara Richardson portrays Harriet Tubman

This week From the Archives is the program from the 1909 Brenau Chautauqua. Chautauquas originated in 1874 in New York at Lake Chautauqua. This event would provide lectures and music to the town and give the people a sense of community. Chautauquas first appeared in Gainesville in 1897, inspiring HJ Pearce, the founder of Brenau College, to work on his own with assistance from the college.

The 1909 Brenau Chautauqua ran for 26 days in July and included hundreds of Hall County residents that volunteered their time for the event. The program book includes a history of Gainesville, updates on town history, and interesting trivia. Some trivia includes “The Pacolet Mills, at New Holland, is supplied with pure water from the boldest spring in this section of the state,” and “The finest churches that grace any city of its size are to be seen in Gainesville.” Our book is in perfect condition and is a great piece of history in our archives!

Lunch & Learn: Girl Scouts Founder Juliette Gordon Low Thursday, March 5th, 2020 from 12:00-12:45 PM Included in General Admission

Meet the Founder of Girl Scouts, Juliette Gordon Low (or “Daisy”) during this Lunch & Learn! Daisy will tell the story of how she founded the Girl Scouts, stories from her childhood, her experiences around the world and more.

Family Day: Women’s Work March 8th, 2020 from 1-4 PM Free! Thanks to the Ada Mae Ivester Education Center

In conjunction with National Women’s History Month the History Center take a special look at the role of Women over the last 300 years as they work at home and in public. Hands-on activities and living history interpretation will bring the work of women and the path toward equality to life on this special Family Day. Family Days are free to the public thanks to the Ada Mae Ivester Education Center.

Forum: Lost Towns of North Georgia March 10th at 7 PM (doors open at 6:30 PM) Admission is $4 or Free for Members

When the bustle of a city slows, towns dissolve into abandoned buildings or return to woods and crumble into the North Georgia clay. The remains of numerous towns dot the landscape--pockets of life that were lost to fire or drowned by the water of civic works projects. Author Lisa M. Russell has unearthed the lost towns of Georgia in her latest book, and will be sharing their stories.

Our forum series is brought to you by the Ada Mae Ivester Education Center.

Doors open at 6:30 p.m., program 7-8 p.m.

Admission is FREE for members, $4 for everyone else.

Facebook

Instagram

Photograph of a group on a walk at Tallulah Falls, 1888. Source: https://dlg.usg.edu/record/dlg_vang_rab022

[transcriptroopers]

Extraordinary Female Soldiers

Hello recruits! It's International Women's Day, so I thought I'd introduce you all to a few outstanding soldiers in army history.  While I once explained this in a previous post, here’s a quick reminder: the military refers to its soldiers with “male” and “female” exclusively and when necessary. We’re discouraged from using either “men” or “women” to refer to each other. While in a civilian setting this would be seen as rude, especially in the case of “female,” in this case it’s actually more disrespectful to refer to female soldiers as “women.” Not only is it othering in a military setting, but to amplify a soldier’s womanhood is to separate her from her fellow soldiers, and often not in a positive way. Consider that we prefer to say “police officer” now instead of “policeman” and “policewoman.” As I’ve heard my female comrades say more than once: “I’m not a woman; I’m a soldier.”  While I’d never assume that all females who’ve enlisted feel this way, it’s been my experience overwhelmingly that female soldiers not only prefer this, but sternly enforce it. Given this, I will most frequently be using the word “female” to refer to the soldiers we’re talking about today. I hope everyone understands that by using this terminology I’m actually conferring respect rather than the opposite. I hope everyone understands that I’ll be focusing on the U.S. Army, since that’s my lane and I’d like to stick in it.

Deborah Sampson

“I am indeed willing to acknowledge what I have done, an error and presumption. I will call it an error and presumption because I swerved from the accustomed flowery path of female delicacy, to walk upon the heroic precipice of feminine perdition!”

We’ve all heard of the tale of Hua Mulan, but have you heard of America’s own Deborah Sampson? She’s widely considered to be the first enlisted female soldier in the U.S., and she served honorably in during the American Revolution as light infantry.  The oldest of seven children, Deborah grew up both in poverty and without her father until she was eventually hired out as a servant to a very conservative family. They ignited the flame of patriotism in her, and when she left the family at 18 it took only two years before she chose to join the army.  Of course, this was 1781, (or 1782; her biography lists conflicting records) and women weren’t allowed to enlist. So Deborah sewed her own waistcoat and britches and enlisted as Robert Shirtliffe (or Shurtliffe or Shurtleff; again, it’s conflicting) in a light infantry unit in Massachusetts.  For two years and through two wounds, one of which she removed the bullet herself, Deborah Sampson served in this unit honorably. In her biography, the Female Review, or the Memoirs of an American Young Lady, her biographer details the horrors of war she faced.  “She says she underwent more with fatigue and heat of the day, than by fear of being killed; although her left-hand man was shot dead at the second fire, and her ears and eyes were continually tormented with the expiring agonies and horrid scenes of many others struggling in their blood. She recollects but three on her side who were killed, John Bebby, James Battles and Noble Stern. She escaped with two shots through her coat, and one through her cap…She now says no pen can describe her feelings experienced in the commencement of an engagement, the sole object of which is to open the sluices of human blood. The unfeigned tears of humanity has more than once started into her eyes in the rehearsal of such as scene as I have just described.”

I dunno about you, but that last sentence especially gets to me.  Deborah came down with a terrible fever in 1783 and her secret was discovered while in the hospital. She was allowed to recover before being revealed, and she was spared from punishment, instead receiving an honorable discharge and being returned home with as little inconvenience as possible.  Nonetheless, it was years before Deborah would receive a pension for her service. She spent the last years of her life publicly speaking about her service, dressing in her old waistcoat to reenact her moments of glory on the battlefield.

Sources: History of Massachusetts.org, Encyclopedia Britannica, National Women’s History Museum

Harriet Tubman

Yes, THAT Harriet Tubman. “God’s time is always near. He set the North Star in the heavens; He gave me the strength in my limbs; He meant I should be free.”  Everyone knows Harriet Tubman, one of the mightiest heroines in American History, but few people know that Harriet actually served in the army during the Civil War, and at the urging of the federal government no less.  Born a slave in 1822 and escaped to freedom in 1849, Harriet spent eleven years returning to slave states and personally shepherding dozens of slaves to freedom in the north. She was not only brave but clever, devising numerous tricks and deceptions that fooled slave catchers again and again. Devoutly religious, she believed wholly in God’s deliverance, and she even earned the nickname “Moses” for her part in guiding the exodus of slaves.  During the Civil War, Harriet Tubman continued to dazzle with her many talents. A nurse, a scout, a spy, and a foot soldier, Harriet served dutifully in South Carolina for eight years. Her patients were very often primarily black and poor white soldiers, and she treated then with medicinal herbs and roots when medicine was scarce. She was efficient and kind, and some say protected by God himself, for she never caught any of the many, many diseases she treated while enlisted.

Harriet Tubman is credited with being not only the first black female soldier, but the first female soldier period to lead a military expedition. This was not a small expedition, either; hundreds of soldiers were involved in what’s now known as the Combahee River Raid. Its purpose was to harass plantation owners while rescuing their slaves, and as the boats sailed up the Combahee River, its riders shifted: the soldiers jumped onto the shore to assault the Confederates while slaves climbed aboard to safety. Faced with too many slaves to rescue and dissension growing amidst the crowd, Harriet Tubman sang to the escaping slaves to calm and encourage them, and those slaves would recall how they rejoiced and praised her and God. Approximately 750 slaves were rescued in this mission and the Confederacy was dealt a massive blow while the Union soldiers suffered no casualties.  Despite her honorable services, Harriet Tubman was denied a pension. Brigadier General Rufus Saxton’s report of the raid included the following statement: “This is the only military command in American history wherein a woman, black or white, led the raid, and under whose inspiration it was originated and conducted.” Sources: NY Times, Liberty Letters, Harriet Tubman.com

Oveta Culp Hobby

“Women who stepped up were measured as citizens of the nation, not as women…this was a people’s war and everyone was in it.”

Colonel Oveta Culp Hobby never intended to become so involved in the army. As a young woman, her trade was publishing: newspapers, editing, editorials. She and her husband ran newspapers and radio stations, and when her husband became Governor she dabbled in politics, eventually writing “Mr. Chairman,” then and now a textbook on legislature and parliamentary law. She served on committees, planned and organized, and especially advised others on how women could contribute to society.

In 1941, in the wake of the drafts, she was persuaded by the federal government to write up a plan clearly lining out how women could participate in the war, something hitherto unpublished. She did this by studying the participation of women in Britain and France and personally investigating the jobs at which women could assist the war effort without having to undragono specialized training, which at the time was often refused even to women who desired it. Though she at first denied the limelight, as she so often had in her life, she eventually became the director of the Women’s Army Auxilary Corps. A corps entirely of females, she and her unit were shunned by sexist military officials who  refused to allow mingling between the WAAC and the regular army and even refused to issue pay. Because the women were not technically enlisted, (although Oveta later took the Oath of Office herself in 1943 to become a colonel) they reasoned that they shouldn’t have to treat the women the same because the women of the WAAC were still civilians. They partly reasoned this because so few jobs in the army were actually open to female soldiers, a point which Oveta Culp Hobby sought to remedy. By the time she was done, over 200 jobs in the U.S. army became accessible to female soldiers, over four times the “generous” proposal outlined by Congress. Her plans, policies, and training methods would later be nationally acknowledged and implemented. Even after leaving service, she continued to argue for fully equality in the army, not limited to only females but race as well. In 1945, she became the first woman to be awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, and a very distinguished legacy she leaves behind indeed.  Source: Texas State Historical Association, Rice Fondren Library

Lori Ann Piestewa

Our final extraordinary female soldier is Lori Ann Piestewa, a Hopi native from 11th ADA Brigade (my old brigade, as it happens) who enlisted in the U.S. Army in 2001 after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

"I’m not trying to be a hero. I just want to get through this crap and go home." Lori, born in 1979, was the youngest of four. She played softball and was active in her high school’s ROTC program, showing in both a strong aptitude for challenging herself. She came from a family of soldiers who raised her to have confidence in herself and her abilities, and it came as no surprise to her family when she enlisted in the army, eventually settling with the 507th Maintenance Company. Numerous accounts of her peers recount Lori as being a dependable and enthusiastic comrade for the two years she was enlisted. Lori’s MOS was 92A, Automated Logistical Specialist, a non-combat MOS. She kept records on equipment and accounted for much of her unit’s inventory. In 2003, Lori Ann Piestewa was deployed to Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom. A mere PFC at the time and a mere three days into the U.S. invasion of Iraq, she and her company’s convoy were traveling through the harsh desert. They intended to pass by Nasiriyah, an enormous Iraqi city under enemy control during the early stages of the Iraq war. Unfortunately, a navigational error brought them to Nasiriyah’s front doorstep, and a firefight ensued, one of the first of the Iraq war.  All but three of their vehicles were destroyed and eleven soldiers were killed in combat, with six being captured. Lori was taken prisoner along with other famous POWs Jessica Lynch and Shoshana Johnson, but unfortunately, Lori had been wounded in the head during the attack, and there was no suitable medical equipment or personnel available to treat her.  Lori Ann Piestewa was posthumously promoted to specialist following her death, and she also received the Purple Heart and the Prisoner of War Medal. Jessica Lynch has maintained ever since the ambush that Lori performed admirably during the attack that took almost a third of the soldiers present and that she was a heroine for her efforts, and her death has resonated with people of all races across the country. The Hopi and Navajo people prayed for her despite their long-time feud, and the Arizona Sports council has immortalized her in their annual Lori Piestewa National American Games. After her death, efforts across the country began to rename the various national landmarks named with the offensive “squaw” term, one of which includes Piestewa Peak, a location where many now come to hike, bike, and pay their respects to Lori.

Lori was not only the first Native American female killed in combat, but the first female to be killed in the Iraq War, and this fact, along with her dedication, has cemented her place in history as an extraordinary female soldier. 

Sources: Rolling Stone, Indian Country Media Network, Piestewa Native Web.org

I hope you enjoyed this post accounting the stupendous bravery of American women in the military! There’s so many more amazing women in history and I couldn’t possibly account all of the lives and achievements of female soldiers, but I hope that on this International Women’s Day you’ll join me in saluting the memory of these four pioneers of freedom. 

-Kingsley

Was this post informative? Entertaining? Eye-opening? Then consider supporting SPC Kingsley on Patreon!