Honouring Harriet Tubman

Harriet Tubman

On the 160th anniversary of the arrival of Harriet Tubman in Canada, Parks Canada has finally confirmed that a plaque in her honour will soon be erected in front of the church she attended in St. Catherines, Ontario, the Salem Chapel British Methodist Episcopal (BME) Church. The Government of Canada designated the church as a National Historic Site in 2000 and in 2005 Harriet Tubman was designated as a National Historic Person.

Tubman is also recognized as national hero in the United States of America where she was born into slavery around 1822.

According to a report compiled by Peter Hanes, Information Technology Specialist/ Editor International (Canada-USA-UK) Black Studies, on February 1, 2011, a bill (U.S. Senate Bill S.247) was introduced in the US Senate to honour Harriet Tubman:

The Harriet Tubman National Historical Parks Act will establish two National Historic Parks, one in Maryland and one in New York. The National Historical Park in Maryland will trace Tubman’s early life on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, where she was born and later escaped from slavery to become one of the leaders on the Underground Railroad. The National Historical Park in New York will be located in Auburn and will focus on her later years where she was active in the women’s suffrage movement and in providing for the welfare of aged African Americans.

To see Peter Hanes’s full report, click here (scroll down on the page).

To see a copy of U.S. Senate Bill S.247, click here.

To discover why the Parks Canada plaque honoring Harriet Tubman was delayed, click here.

To see a biography of Harriet Tubman by Kate Clifford Larson, click here.