Harriet Tubman posthumously named a general in Veterans Day ceremony https://t.co/6ALKGqxRoq
— The Associated Press (@AP) November 11, 2024
Petula Dvorak, at the Washington Post — “Harriet Tubman becomes a one-star general in Maryland, 160 years late”:
CHURCH CREEK, Md. — Harriet Tubman, like most Black women of her era and many Black women today, was often dismissed, underestimated and ignored.
That’s what made her such an effective spy and scout. It’s also the reason that it took our nation 160 years to honor her properly for her military service.
They finally did this on Veterans Day, coming in entourages and motorcades to her land — the vast, lonely expanse of the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge on Maryland’s Eastern Shore — to see Tubman posthumously became a one-star brigadier general in the Maryland Army National Guard.
A governor, generals and scores of veterans drove past the loblolly pines and tall saltmeadow cordgrass that Tubman navigated on foot, in the dark, over and over again.
“She walked from there to New York or Philadelphia, just using the stars and the water,” Maj. General Janeen Birckhead, the head of Maryland’s National Guard, said Monday.
Those years as a conductor on the Underground Railroad prepared her for the extraordinary service that the military honored at last…
Her military service isn’t a familiar part of Tubman’s legacy for most Americans. We hear her story in the context of honoring Black leaders or women. But not so much on Veterans Day…
“A general takes care of people, absolutely,” Birckhead said. “But a general is also tactical. A general is operational. A general is strategic. And she was all of those things.”
For many, she was called “Moses.” But Birckhead called her “General.”
At the start of the Civil War, Tubman was known for her talent and bravery guiding more than 70 enslaved people to freedom through the Underground Railroad. She was so good that there were rumors that she was an Ashanti sorceress who could take on the form of a leopard, according to the Army Historical Foundation.
“Tubman was not a commando or a steely-eyed killer, but she was able to do what neither of those types could do: pass through enemy lines and talk to her people about the local situation,” the historical foundation wrote. “She was what intelligence analysts today would call a ‘human terrain specialist’ who knew how to work with the people to accomplish the mission.”
Her most daring raid was in June 1863, when Tubman directed three steamships up the Combahee River in South Carolina.
Because of the intelligence collected by Tubman and her knowledge of the terrain that night, more than 750 enslaved people were liberated…
“We talk about this idea that ‘leave no one behind’ is not just a statement, it is a governing philosophy,” said Moore, who is also an Army veteran. “But let’s be clear about who the original ‘leave no one behind’ was, because there is nobody who defined ‘leave no one behind’ in the way that General Tubman left no one behind.”…
Tubman’s constant fight for recognition and respect was recognized by some. Frederick Douglass wrote her a letter in 1868 telling her that he got it.
“I have had the applause of the crowd and the satisfaction that comes of being approved by the multitude,” Douglass wrote, “while the most that you have done has been witnessed by a few trembling, scarred, and footsore bondmen and women, whom you have led out of the house of bondage, and whose heartfelt, ‘God bless you,’ has been your only reward.”…
The commission, the ceremony, the military band and officials were a step in the right direction.
“It’s one step,” said Tonet Cuffee, one of Tubman’s great-great-great-grandnieces. She was one of about a dozen Tubman descendants, many of whom wore T-shirts declaring their heritage.
“One step of thousands left to honor her legacy,” Cuffee said, saying that other steps include addressing poverty, education, mental health issues and substance abuse in their community.
“The Underground Railroad is still under construction. We are still fighting many injustices today,” she said. “If she was here today, she would probably be fighting to eradicate those issues.”
Baud
We need new Harriet Tubmans.
cain
We might be needing an underground railway..?
Old School
No one tell Trump that her $20 was reinstated for 2030.
comrade scotts agenda of rage
This post reminds me, how long will it take Hair Furor to cancel the oft-delayed plans to get her on the $20?
We could do an over/under and submit part of the betting to Cole’s animal shelter as an addition to the annual BJ calendar proceeds!
Steve LaBonne
It’s impossible to honor her too much. She is one of the greatest and most remarkable figures in our history.
Mart
I did not know many of those details. Made me puddle up.
Ohio Mom
Having written a book report on Harriet Tubman in third grade, I always feel thrilled to see her honored. I don’t know why, but that book report made feel forever connected.
Now how I came up with Harriet Tubman, I have no idea. I suspect the teacher gave us a list of noteable historical figures to chose among. Which leaves us with, how did a white elementary school teacher in 1962 know about Harriet Tubman —Black History month hadn’t been invented yet, and there was no push to learn women’s history either.
prostratedragon
“Chuphshah! Harriet’s Drive to Canaan,” James Lee III
I heard this thrilling work in conert last month.
comrade scotts agenda of rage
@Ohio Mom:
Because you had a good elementary school teacher! The kind that would probably be pleased to know that a student all these years later remembered.
I’m amazed that people remember this stuff much less after so much elapsed time.
H.E.Wolf
My favorite poem and photo of General Tubman:
https://idealisticrebel.com/2014/03/09/i-like-to-think-of-harriet-tubman/
https://fineartamerica.com/featured/harriet-tubman-portrait-1911-unknown.html
Jackie
I read this yesterday from the AP, but didn’t post because the threads weren’t conducive for it, and I hoped a post dedicated to her would happen 😊
What a remarkable woman and human being Harriet Tubman was. I’m so happy Veterans Day was chosen to posthumous award her the rank of general. Thank you, AL!
Harrison Wesley
This is the best thing I’ve read all day.
Danielx
Particularly apropos since the orange shitbag is forming a board to select insufficiently loyal generals for dismissal.
Jackie
@Harrison Wesley: All week!
chris green
John Brown referred to himself as captain but he called her “General”.
Old Dan and Little Ann
I read a Harriet Tubman chapter book with my 4th graders every year for 6 years in the mid aughts. It’s shameful she’s not on the 20 yet. It’s been talked about long enough.
df
My understanding is that Tubman never lost a soul, which fits in with her Moses moniker. She carried a revolver, and was very serious about leading people to freedom. If you got cold feet, your option was to suck it up, or she would shoot you where you stand (you didn’t wanna risk anyone finding out where safehouses were). “Go on or die”, she told one man who expressed a desire to return to slavery.
I believe she also went back to Maryland once to save her enslaved husband (she had escaped first and planned to come back), who had ended up remarrying. He then told Tubman that he didn’t actually want to leave. So instead, she liberated other slaves who wanted to escape.
Harriet Tubman is the baddest of badasses, and she deserves every last ounce of recognition.
dc
She should have a military base named after her too.
cain
We’re all gonna be needing people like Harriet Tubman.
BTW anybody read the slate article about Dearborn, MI – apparently, they aren’t doing well.
Love the fact that Mike Huckabee doesn’t even refer to the West Bank as West Bank or the fact that he declared there is no such thing as “Palestine” or “Palestinian”. If Tlaib is pissed before, she’s gonna be incandescent. I think her sister is already blaming the Dem leadership
The upcoming immigrant/women crackdown is going to require an underground railroad.
WaterGirl
@Danielx: Glass half empty in a glass half full thread?
Tony G
@comrade scotts agenda of rage: Trump will make that decision only if somebody reminds him to do it. He’s cognitively incapable of acting independently at this point.
sab
@Ohio Mom: I was taught about Harriet Tubman in 5th grade in Florida in a
veryonly white public school. Our teacher was a white retired teacher from inner city Philadelphia and she had loved her students and let us know it. Tubman wasn’t in the textbooks but she fit her in.I hadn’t really thought until now how much subtle impact that teacher had on me, and why my one year younger brother is so different. He didn’t have her as a teacher.
For all of us despairing, the little things matter a lot. One teacher of ten year olds changed this kid’s life
ETA I was in fifth grade in 1964-65.
suzanne
@Ohio Mom: I wrote a book report on Mahalia Jackson in second grade and I have adored her since.
Kelly
@Ohio Mom: I’m not sure when I heard first learned about Harriet Tubman. Middle school late 1960’s probably. Definitely remember she was a hero.
comrade scotts agenda of rage
@sab:
That’s what I was trying to say above, thank you for articulating it.
People like me might not remember specifics but so many of us were fortunate to have that “teacher of ten year olds” (or equivalent) that had such a butterfly effect on our lives.
cain
oh man, looks like Alina Habba is front runner for press secretary. This should be fun.
df
@suzanne: Mahalia Jackson is a treasure. This particular performance of Precious Lord never fails to move me to tears. I think I found out about her reading about Aretha Franklin, and who influenced her own music. Mahalia Jackson was on that list.
Jackie
@cain: She’ll be even less trustworthy than Kayleigh McEnany.
Harrison Wesley
@cain: Habba dabba doo!
ColoradoGuy
I think we already have a de facto Underground Railway from the Hate States to the Free States. Right now it’s pregnant women needing good medical care and trans people, but I’m sure the numbers will grow.
These are the networks that need to build up, offering a new electronic identity as well as refuge. Colorado, New Mexico, and Illinois are on the front lines.
satby
@df: Mahalia Jackson sang in the movie Imitation of Life
Which also tackled race and gender issues in 1959.
NotMax
@satby
Remake of the 1934 Imitation of Life, both adapted from Fannie Hurst’s 1933 novel.
Ruckus
I just spent the day at the VA and come home to read this?
And my first thought is why in the hell did it take all this time?
This nation has been broken my entire life. And I am an old man. A 75 yr old, white man, who absolutely believes that the color of your skin is should make no difference in how one is treated. That piece of paper says we are all EQUAL. I did not raise my hand and sigh up for 4 yrs serving this country for nothing. Sure there was the draft but 2 1/2 yrs after I was eligible for the draft was when I enlisted and men of color were being drafted. Maybe it was just the way it worked out. I didn’t start then and I’m not holding my breath now, waiting to find out.
And – there is this little question of the upcoming leadership of this nation. AGAIN.
Quaker in a Basement
@Harrison Wesley: Habbie Doobie
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EoP0IdbMyUM
satby
@NotMax: I did prefer the older one, but the newer one had Mahalia. Who lived in the South Side of Chicago.
BellyCat
This honor for her, way too late, is still so incredibly wonderful!!!
BigJimSlade
Not exactly related, but there’s a band named after her that does some challenging jazz rock, for those who might like that kind of thing:
https://harriettubman.bandcamp.com/album/the-terror-end-of-beauty
RevRick
When MrsRev and I vacationed in Cape May, NJ back in September, we visited the Harriet Tubman Museum. Evidently, Cape May was one avenue of escape from slavery with the Cape May lighthouse serving as a beacon across Delaware Bay. As a result a prosperous free black community built up in the region, many working in the tourist industry that began in the late nineteenth century and others in black-owned businesses serving the community. In a previous visit we had gone on an Underground Railroad trolley tour.
RevRick
If I were king, I’d replace every Confederate soldier monument with ones of Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, Fredrick Douglass, and Thaddeus Stevens. Just to remind the racists of which side was the one of justice.
moonbat
Thanks for this, AL! She was an early hero of mine along with Wilma Rudolph. As a kid with multiple physical challenges, she was a huge inspiration to me.
comrade scotts agenda of rage
@RevRick:
I’d throw in a few of Sherman just to remind the treasonous bastards of a few things.
Ruckus
@BellyCat:
I wonder if hate takes longer to cure than any other issue?
Because people can keep up a hate a hell of a long time.
Citizen Alan
@Ruckus: After the last 10 years, I have a long, long list of people I plan to hate for a very long time..
Ruckus
@Citizen Alan:
See I was right……..
Kathleen
@cain: They’ll keep bashing Dems. It’s too lucrative.
BellyCat
Undoubtedly. Especially if you’re Irish (or Italian, in my case). //