This grandma lived for others
On this day more than a century ago, the world lost one of its most selfless, dedicated, and tireless human beings. Even today living to age 91 is no small feat, but in 1913 it was simply amazing; she must have been doing something right.
Perhaps it was helping others.
Harriet Tubman — Grandma Moses — best known for leading an estimated 70 people to freedom by the “underground railroad,” didn’t stop there. Essentially a network of those friendly to escaped slaves, the underground railroad was neither underground (except in a few spots), nor connected to trains. It was fraught with danger across miles of open land littered with those eager to capture and return people to nightmares we can scarcely imagine.
Born a slave in Maryland, the young girl later known as Grandma Moses suffered a severe head wound at the hands of her master, which caused lifelong bouts of pain, dizziness, and hypersomnia. But it dulled neither her intelligence nor her inner strength.
She escaped to Philadelphia and freedom at age 27, yet risked all by going back 13 times to help others do the same — first her family, then group after group, all of whom made it. She never lost one of her “passengers.” Nor did she attempt retaliation against those who enslaved her; as a devout Christian she didn’t agree with those who advocated violence against “whites.”
Instead of taking a respite after such exhausting trials, she next turned to nurturing and feeding troops at a time when women were scarce in military life. She cooked for and nursed the Union Army during the Civil War. Again risking her life and limb, she also became an armed scout and Army spy.
But why stop there? Tubman was a war hero. As the first woman to lead an armed expedition and assault, she headed the famous raids against a collection of plantations along the Combahee River in South Carolina, liberating more than 750 slaves. Newspapers reporting the raids praised her for “patriotism, sagacity, energy, and ability.”
Emancipation didn’t end her dedication to helping others. After the war, she returned to the New York property she had bought from U.S. Senator and abolitionist William Seward (yes, she was a rare “black” woman who owned property in the 19th century) to care for aging parents. And a host of other relatives, acquaintances, and former slaves who needed a safe haven to start over.
Most would say they’d done enough at that point, and retire to rest. After all, she had finally married late in life (at age 47, to a man 22 years younger) and adopted a daughter. Not Harriet. This literate woman became a suffragette throughout her golden years, fighting to gain the vote for women alongside Susan B. Anthony and Emily Howland.
She never saw the coveted fruit of that last labor, but if she could see how many women (and men) waste that right today, it might kill her. She knew better than most how much the law, and those who make and exercise it, affect our lives and the lives of others.
“Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.” — Harriet Tubman
Sholeh Patrick, J.D., is a columnist for the Hagadone News Network. Email: sholeh@cdapress.com