March 10th is a day that will forever be
burned in my mind. Today is the day that one of the greatest American’s that
ever lived passed away. Because of her, I am here right now.
Harriett Tubman, the Moses of her People, died 100
years ago today.
Yes, Black History Month is celebrated in February
but truly, Black History IS American History. As I think about it we would not
be in the place that we are today had it not been for her. She didn't allow
herself to be defined on the way that she was born. Nor did she let physical disabilities
hold her back.
Some may have forgotten that she was hit in the head
with a weight as a young slave. After that she was pretty much relegated to
what we would now call narcolepsy. She had sleeping spells that would come on
her and put her to sleep for hours or sometimes days at a time.
Still she persevered.
Even with the fact that during her time women were
considered second class citizens, with her Underground Railroad and efforts and
Union Army exploits, she helped to free nearly a thousand slaves.
She is most widely known for staunch abolition
efforts along with those of Fredrick Douglass and William Lloyd Garrison. Yes,
she changed history.
Tubman, also knew that women were much more than
what the US Constitution was interpreted to mean. She stood with Susan B.
Anthony and Emily Howland (yes, this black WOMAN and former slave) and
challenged the status quo. Though she did not live to see the results of her
work, the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment to the Constitution is also a
part of her tremendous legacy.
Today as we stand just months away from the Lilly
Ledbetter Act and the resigning of the Violence Against Women Act, I am
reminded of the tenacity and resolve of Harriett Tubman. Just one hundred short
years ago, our world was so different.
I spoke to a young man a few days ago (he was only
20), who believed that things were finally equal. He truly believed that there
was no need for minority rights or anything like Affirmative Action. I smiled
and listened to him but explained why I had to disagree.
Without a doubt, I know that the vestiges of institutionalized
racism and sexism still exist. Though I hope I am proven wrong, it will be
generations more before we can really begin to imagine true equality.
Today I fondly remember one who paved the way for
me. I am because she is. I can sit next to whom I choose and not have to serve
or bow my head. I can choose and exercise true freedom and support women doing
the same. Simply, because one woman chose not to be silent.
Thank you, Harriett Tubman. Today and always we are thankful and we remember.
