I think every American, and probably many non-Americans, have heard of the former slave-turned-abolitionist named Harriet Tubman, who was called the “Moses of her people.” She’s been in the spotlight again recently as the Biden administration has been discussing replacing Andrew Jackson’s portrait with hers on the $20 bill. But I’m guessing that very few have heard of her as a disabled woman. I hadn’t until recently. Let’s rectify that, and talk about her as a whole person, shall we?
Harriet Tubman, born Araminta “Minty” Ross, was born in about 1820 in Maryland. That’s right, all this time you didn’t even know her OG name! To jump ahead real quick, slaves were not allowed to marry, but in 1844 when she was about 24 years old, she entered into a union with a freed black man named John Tubman. At that time, she changed her name to Harriet Tubman. Harriet, after her mother. Throughout this article, I will continue to refer to Araminta Ross as Harriet Tubman, as she changed her own name, and I feel it is important to respect that.
When she was a young teenager, Harriet was struck in the head by a two-pound weight thrown in a fit of rage by a male slaveowner. There is some debate about whether he intended to strike another slave who was running from his master, her for refusing to get involved and apprehend said slave, or just to scare them both. Regardless of intent, the weight hit her squarely in the head and she nearly died on the spot. She was sent to her mother’s house to recover, or not, and she spent months being nursed back to health, not with any formal medical care, just the love and nurturing of her mother.
While Harriet did recover, she was left permanently disabled. She now had severe epileptic seizures and hypersomnia, chronic pain, severe headaches/migraines (that were so severe that years later she would receive brain surgery for, without the benefit of anesthesia), and hallucinations. The traumatic brain injury from the initial impact by the weight was severely exacerbated by the daily violence inflicted upon her.
Harriet was incredibly clever and observant, even with neurological disabilities giving her hurdles that she definitely didn’t need. She escaped slavery when she was still in her 20’s, and remained free for the rest of her days. Her knowledge of the stars, of wildlife, and nature helped aid her in her liberation and continued independence from ownership. Contrary to popular belief, she didn’t actually create the underground railroad, and in fact most likely utilized it and the safehouses along the way while making her own run for freedom along with her two brothers. Her husband of 5 years, however, refused to join her as she made a bid for her freedom. Two years later he re-married a freed black woman.
In her years, Harriet led over 70 enslaved humans to freedom by way the underground railroad, from the coast of Maryland to the free states in the north, even taking folx as far as Canada, suffering her severe pain, unrelievable exhaustion, and seizures the whole way. She was a fierce and strong woman, albeit short in stature. She carried a gun and told the people who traveled with her that, for the safety of the whole party that they must “go on or die.” In all her journeys along the underground railroad, at least 13 in her lifetime, she never lost a single “passenger.” This caused the southern slave owners such distress that they ended up posting a $40,000 reward for anyone who could capture or kill her. But they were never successful.
After her time smuggling people to freedom along the railroad, she was recruited by the Union Army, where she served as a spy, a scout, a guerrilla soldier, and a nurse. She is considered to be the first African American woman to serve in the military. Harriet went on to be involved in several other abolitionist efforts as well as sidling up next to people like Susan B. Anthony in support of Women’s Suffrage.
Eventually Harriet re-married, this time a Union soldier and freed slave nearly 20 years younger than her (you go girl!) named Nelson Davis. They lived together in Auburn, New York where Harriet cared for her parents and helped author Sarah Bradford with her autobiography, in exchange for some income. Harriet and Nelson also cared for many other elderly folx at their home. In 1874 they adopted a daughter, and in 1888 Nelson passed away. After an 11-year fight for military pension, Harriet was finally awarded $8/mo for Nelson’s military service, and a few years later, received a total of $20 for her own service to her country.
In 1896 Harriet used this money to purchase 25 acres of land next to her current home (yes, a black disabled woman in the 1800’s bought land. How badass is that?) which she turned into the Harriet Tubman Home for the Aged. This space highlighted her entire life’s premise: the creation of democratization and equity in communities large and small, and the provision of exceptional care for the most vulnerable amongst us.
One of the most famous Harriet Tubman quotes is “I had crossed the line. I was free; but there was no one to welcome me to the land of freedom. I was a stranger in a strange land.” I like to believe, and I think her actions support my Pollyanna-like dreams, that her creating a safe, comforting space for elderly black folk, as well as other vulnerable former slaves, was part of her way of being a welcoming presence to those she and others had helped to also cross that line into this strange land. That she was doing what she could to make it just a bit less strange, a little less lonely. And while freedom should never be taken for granted or downplayed, community is another gift that Harriet gave that we often forget about. I am sure that as a former slave, Harriet felt very alone and unsure of herself as she carved out her life in a free state. But additionally, life as a disabled human is often extremely isolating and lonely. I admire her strength to not only make herself a life, albeit often financially insecure, but to work into her old age to make sure that everyone she could get her hands on had the opportunity to not only be free, but also to not be alone in that freedom.
Upon her own first crossing of the Mason-Dixon line, she is recorded as having said, “I looked at my hands to see if I was the same person now that I was free, there was such glory over everything, the sun came up like gold through the trees, and over the fields, and I felt like I was in heaven.”
Harriet Tubman died in 1913 and was buried with full military honors at Fort Hill Cemetery in Auburn, NY.
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