Advocacy Amidst Adversity: The Harriet Tubman Story

The excellent film “Harriet,” is based on a true story of the life of activist and former slave, Harriet Tubman. Sometimes called the “Moses of Her People,” Harriet was a “conductor” on the underground railroad, responsible for leading hundreds of slaves to freedom during her lifetime.

A Defining Moment

At the age of 13, Harriet was hit in the head by a two-pound weight, thrown in an attempt to stop a slave attempting escape. Instead, it hit Harriet in the back of her head, fracturing her skull. She hung between life and death, and was forced back to the fields straightaway.  Harriet is recorded as saying, “There I worked with the blood and sweat rolling down my face ‘til I couldn’t see.”

Due to this injury, Harriet suffered constant physical pain throughout her life. She experienced severe headaches, seizures and what we now know as narcolepsy, during which times she would fall asleep and seem unconscious. A devout Christian, she experienced visions that guided her as she led slaves to freedom. 

“God tells me what to do, but I use my feet!”

-Harriet Tubman

Advocacy in Adversity

Harriet advocated for herself in spite of being enslaved. She negotiated with her enslaver to choose her own work assignments. He agreed as long as she promised to pay him a yearly fee. Because of this, she was able to labor in various areas which helped her learn the geography of the region. She worked alongside others, such as black sailors from whom she learned a great deal about the Eastern seaboard. These connections helped Harriet to create a network that would lead herself and ultimately others to freedom.

A Journey Begins

When her enslaver went into debt, Harriet feared being sold away from her family. This set the stage for her first journey: 100 miles, on foot, from Maryland to Pennsylvania. It had never been done by one person traveling alone. Along the way, Harriet experienced visions that assured her she would be free. In the words of Shay Dawson, “she pressed onward alone, guided to Pennsylvania by the stars.”

Role of Conductor

Taking a great risk, Harriet decided to return to the south in the hope of freeing her family.  When she was told that she couldn’t do it again, she replied, “don’t tell me what I can do!”

“I had reasoned this out in my mind: there was one of two things I had the right to, liberty or death: if I could not have one, I would have the other!”

-Harriet Tubman

Following the Fugitive Slave Act, which placed large bounties on slaves, Harriet changed course, deciding to lead groups to Canada. She went on to lead eleven trips from Maryland to Ontario Canada between 1850-1860. All together she made 19 trips, earning herself the name “Moses of Her People."

Civil War Nurse, Scout and Military Strategist

When the Civil war broke out, Harriet enlisted in the Union as a nurse. She became a scout, recruited others to the cause and even organized a group of spies. Tubman helped Colonel James Montgomery orchestrate a raid that freed approximately 750 enslaved people.

Tubman was a strong supporter of the Suffrage Movement and spoke at a conference saying, “I was conductor of the Underground Railroad for eight years, and I can say what most conductors can’t say- I never ran my train off the track and I never lost a passenger.” Harriet continued to serve her community by building a Home for the Aged when she was 75.

A Legacy

Harriet Tubman is credited as the first woman in US history to both plan and lead a military raid. In 2021, the Army inducted her into the Military Intelligence Corps. In 2024, the United States Mint launched the 2024 Harriet Tubman Commemorative Coin Program.

The governor of Maryland recognized Tubman as “one of the greatest authors of the American Story.”

Points to Ponder

• You are not defined by your past.

• You can write your own story.

• What journey are you called to?

• Where are you advocating for yourself or others?

• How can you fight for freedom?

• What would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail?

Unlike Harriet Tubman in her first journey, you don't have to go it alone. Schedule a free consultation with an ADHD coach and start advocating for yourself!

“As a historian of slavery and disability, Tubman’s disability has helped to nuance my understandings of disabled people’s societal roles historically. She has pushed me to interrogate how power and vulnerability can not only coexist, but work together in liberatory ways”

- Deidre Cooper Owens, historian

“Tubman's place in disability history is often overlooked. It is important to note that narcolepsy was a prominent part of both her identity and story. Vivid visions of freedom came to her while experiencing these seizures. As a result of her visions, her disability is often associated with her religiosity. However, Tubman’s dedication to her faith and her experience with chronic pain hold equal weight. Both elements were key in her determination to seek liberation for the enslaved.”

- Shay Dawson, Predoctoral Fellow in Gender Studies