Harriet Tubman Comes to Life on Saturday

Trial & Tribulations is honored to have Kathryn Harris joining us with her presentation of Harriet Tubman on Saturday, Sept 18, at 2:30 and 5:30 p.m. at Independence Pioneer Village.  While Harriet is not part of the Matson Slave Trial story, as a conductor on the Underground Railroad, she represents the only route to freedom for many slaves. This presentation compliments the Bryants story by highlighting the struggles that many other slaves endured to achieve freedom.

Harriet Tubman was born between 1820 and 1823; having been born into slavery, there are no written records of her birth. In 1849, destined for freedom, she escaped to Pennsylvania with the help of abolitionist friends. Harriet made her first trip back to the south to free other slaves just two years later.

Harriet eventually conducted numerous trips on the Underground Railroad and led some 300 people to freedom. Following the Civil War, Harriet was a part of the Freedman’s Bureau, which worked to teach former slaves to read and write, present themselves for work, and be their own masters.

Although Tubman's travels and activities didn't bring her to Illinois, she does have a connection to Abraham Lincoln. In the 1850s, Tubman was given land by William H. Seward, then the governor of New York. Seward would later become a member of Lincoln's cabinet.

About a decade ago, Harris was asked by a colleague to join in an outreach project of bringing history into the schools. So when she was approached by a colleague and asked if she would give it a try for an upcoming program, she agreed.  "I've always been a bit of a ham," Harris says.
                                              
To prepare for her portrayal, Harris read every book on Tubman she could find. She read encyclopedia entries, books about the Underground Railroad and even children's level biographies. "It became a passion," Harris said.
                                              
Phil Funkenbusch, director of the shows division at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum, said Harris is a natural when it comes to her portrayal of Tubman. "It's almost like she channels her," Funkenbusch said. "She gets inside her own skin."

All told, Harris estimates she does about 30 Harriet Tubman performances a year. Along with schools, she goes to churches and civic groups. Harris explains, “My goal is to give people a better understanding of slavery and how one person can make a difference.”

Kathryn M. Harris serves as Library Services Director at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library (ALPL), formerly the IL State Historical Library (ISHL), in Springfield, IL.  Harris joined the ISHL staff in 1990 as the Supervisor of Reference and Technical Services and was named ISHL Director in 1996.  With the opening of the ALPL in 2004, Harris assumed her current title.  Harris says that the highlight of her professional career was being involved in the planning and construction of the ALPLM.  

She is active in  various library and history-related organizations and has been the recipient of numerous awards including the Studs Terkel Humanities Service Award, Springfield YWCA Women of Excellence Award, the Webster Plaque and the President’s Award from the Springfield Chapter NAACP.

Harris has appeared on stage as “Sadie Delany” in local productions of “Having Our Say” and she has also portrayed “Elizabeth Keckley” in “The Last of Mrs. Lincoln”, both performances having been presented in the Union Theatre at the ALPM.