Celebrating Harriet Tubman, iconic figure of the Underground Railroad

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Decades ago, a wonderful restaurant in Toronto’s downtown core served up valuable history lessons along with an amazing menu rich with classic soul food. People came from all over to eat at the famous Underground Railroad restaurant, where even the interior of barn beams, lanterns and rough wood paid homage to the story of slavery in North America.

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On any given day, patrons would be sitting next to writers, artists and famous music and theater entertainers, and there was always a wonderful undercurrent of excitement permeating every corner of the iconic eatery.

The restaurant may be gone, but its history — and the history of the Underground Railroad, which saw enslaved African Americans gain their freedom through a carefully organized yet harrowing North American-wide transportation mode — lives on.

The Underground Railroad’s messaging is just as powerful and just as critical today as it was hundreds of years ago. At its core, this ride to freedom was about bravery, and resistance to enslavement, and the journeys of “freedom seekers” — and those who helped them.

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One woman in particular stands out for her tenacity and heart-stopping bravery in winning freedom and saving so many lives during the height of the underground movement. Harriet Tubman — born 200 years ago — was known as the “Moses of Her People” who escaped slavery, and then led enslaved men, women and children to their freedom from her all the way to Canada.

Tubman, who was born enslaved in Dorchester County, Md., in March 1822, was a nurse, a Union spy, an abolitionist and a feminist of her day. She was also an escaped slave who became a “conductor” on the Underground Railroad, leading enslaved people to freedom before the Civil War — all while carrying a bounty on her head.

She was fearless and brave, and it was said many times she’d choose death over losing her freedom.

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“I was the conductor of the Underground Railroad for eight years, and I can say what most conductors can’t say — I never ran my train off the track and I never lost a passenger,” said Tubman back in 1896, as quoted in the archives of the US Library of Congress.

“Every great dream begins with a dreamer,” she was known to say.

Tubman embodies the spirit of International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month, in remembering her determination and courageous spirit, when her life was in danger every single day of the movement.

Research shows an estimated 30,000 to 40,000 freedom seekers entered Canada during the last decades of enslavement in the US, with thousands settling into various parts of what is now Ontario. Harriet Tubman had a hand in many of those who found freedom in Canada.

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This powerful mother and grandmother — whose descendants are alive to this day — will be honored on March 10 as Harriet Tubman Day, an American holiday that was made into law back in 1990. Those interested in following in the steps of this icon can do so with a visit to Maryland, recognized as “The Most Powerful Underground Railroad Storytelling Destination in the World.”

In the years leading up to emancipation, a hotbed of Underground Railroad support grew in Maryland, where various sites offer clear and precise stories of the freedom fighters, who literally changed the course of history with their bravery, courage and sacrifice.

“This year marks 200 years of the life and legacy of Harriet Tubman, one of Maryland’s most prolific historical figures and icons,” said Maya Davis, commissioner for the Maryland Commission of African-American Culture, who is also a former research archivist for the study of the legacy of slavery in Maryland, where a plethora of special events and activities are taking place to honor this powerful woman.

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“It has been my honor to work with the state’s citizens and cultural organizations to preserve, document and give voice to this courageous woman, who survived one of the most traumatic periods in the history of our country… her legacy of family, faith, and freedom reaches beyond the borders of our state to touch the hearts and lives of individuals both nationally and internationally,” she added in a recent email.

Interested in knowing more, or visiting points of interest celebrating Tubman? “The Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad State Park and Visitor Center is a wonderful place to learn Tubman’s history and legacy,” said Dr. Kate Larson, best-selling author, historian and Harriet Tubman scholar, in a recent email.

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“The park is a trailhead, in a way, to the Harriet Tubman Byway, which takes visitors by sites and vast landscapes associated with (her) birth, childhood, and young adulthood as an enslaved person, and as a determined liberator. Many of the landscapes have changed little since Tubman’s time of her.

Larson said to make sure to go by the small, locally run Harriet Tubman Museum and see the magnificent Tubman mural “that has drawn visitors from around the world.”

Harriet Tubman passed away on March 10, 1913 at the ripe age of 93, and she died in the very home she had created several years earlier to help others. Truly a woman of inspiration, she to be remembered and celebrated during International Woman’s Day and Women’s History Month.

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For those interested in following Harriet Tubman’s history:

– The Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Visitor Center and State Park: Commemorates the life and legacy of this legendary Underground Railroad conductor. Immersive exhibits depict Harriet Tubman’s childhood while enslaved, her courageous flight to freedom, and her daring rescue missions.

– The Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Scenic Byway: The self-guided driving tour takes visitors to various sites to learn more about her life and legacy, including tributes and some locations of her bold and dangerous activities.

– The Harriet Tubman Museum and Educational Center: The building features a powerful and moving mural of Tubman.

For additional details, check out visitmaryland.org/listing/attraction/harriet-tubman-museum-and-educational-center