Visitors flock to Eastern Shore center, after 'Harriet' movie released by Anna-Lysa Gayle/ABC7 Friday, November 29th 2019 3 VIEW ALL PHOTOS 'Harriet': The story of Harriet Tubman.
Dorchester County, Md. For the first time, many are seeing Harriet Tubman’s life story up close and personal.
“The strength, the determination, her love for family and the idea that someone small...has the power to change the world,” said Cynthia Erivo, who plays Harriet in the movie based on her life story.
The movie, filmed mostly in Virginia, captures Harriet Tubman’s struggles on the underground railroad in the 1800s. “The movie Harriet has increased our visitation, usually we’re quiet after Labor Day but we’ve had summer numbers,” said Ranger Angela Crenshaw.
Crenshaw is one of the rangers tasked with sharing Harriet’s story with visitors at the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Visitor Center in Dorchester County, Maryland.
Harriet Tubman. (ABC7) “I just came out from seeing that movie about Harriet Tubman and I left feeling more empowered as a woman,” said Minnie Beasley, who visited the center from California.
“Tubman was just a regular woman born into horrible circumstances, who never received formal education, but she did amazing things for her family and friends,” said Crenshaw.
“She emancipated over 70 people on the underground railroad and to me, she did what was right.
She knew American slavery was wrong.
She said slavery was the next thing to hell.”
The center takes us through the real moments in Harriet’s life, from her marriage to a free black man, to her escape from slavery and her near death experience with an overseer which left her with a head injury and seizures for the rest of her life.
“We get a lot of tears, I’ve been a ranger for over five years and I’ve given more hugs here at this park than I have at any other place. People want an emotional connection and we give that to them,” Crenshaw said. “Hearing about this black woman, who did so much, long enough to live to be 91, is very remarkable and people wanted to know more,” said Dr. Amy Yeboah.
Yeboah is a professor in the Afro-American studies department at Howard University, she says Harriet’s story is one that resonates with everyone, regardless of age, sex or race.
“She was an individual who felt strongly about leading herself and her people to freedom and she was relentless about that and I think we should continue to be critical about who she is, continue to read into her story,” she said.
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