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WomenYou Should Know About: Harriet Tubman

Ida B.Weils Ida B. Wells was born in 1862 and lived the first

three years of her life as a slave. In 1865 the Civil War ended, and Ida and her family were set free. Ida was the oldest of seven children and a dedicated student, but her childhood came to an abrupt end when her parents and the youngest brother died of yellow fever. 'When she was only sixteen years old, Ida became a school teacher in order to support her five surviving siblings.

Ida's activism began in 1884 when she was ejected from the first-class compartment of a train simply because of the color of her skin. Ida sued the rail- road company for discrimination and remarkably won $500—only later to have the decision repealed by a higher court. After that, Ida started speaKing out against discrimination and campaigning for African American rights. She wrote for a magazine called Free Speech and Headlight, uncovering all sorts of injustices commit- ted against blacks. She valiantly spoke out against the biased court systems, unfair laws and the terrible vio- lence committed against African Americans. She was so outspoken and controversial that she eventually had to leave the South to protect herself from becoming a hate crime victim.

Later in her life, Ida B. Wells joined the women's movement and campaigned for women's right to vote. When she encountered discrimination among the white suffragettes, Ida didn't stop campaigning for women's rights, instead she founded the first black women's suffrage group. Ida lived to see women get the right to vote in Î920 and remained an activist for equality all of her life.

—Katherine Lewis is our student intern, Oregon

Harriet Tubman,well-known forThe Underground Railroad, helped nearly 300 slaves escape North to free- dom with her 19 trips north from the South. During the American Civil War, the governor of Massachusetts asked Harriet to scout and spy for the Union Army.

The Yankees were not familiar with the Southern territory where the Civil War was fought. But Harriet was, and she could lead the soldiers inconspicuously through it. She was trusted by the blacks whom the army encountered along the way. They could confide in Harriet and help guide the troops. Harriet became invaluable for the Union Army.

Harriet was fearless. Many times she was sent as a spy to the Rebel iines to figure out the Confederate defense positions. Often she would get caught in the crossfire, but she trudged ahead, just like she had on The Underground Railroad.

As the war continued, Harriet was needed as a nurse. She began spending her days at the hospital in Hilton Head, South Carolina, where she dressed wounds and bathed the sick. Harriet's reputation for healing was widespread. She was sent to Florida to help with a dysentery outbreak (which often caused patient's death). Harriet prepared a medicine from the roots of water lilies, miraculously curing those with the disease.

Harriet was not paid for her services. After risk- ing her life many times for the Army, she was denied a pension by the U.S. Congress. To make a living, she baked nearly fifty pies, a great quantity of gingerbread, and made two casks of root beer every evening after her nursing work. Escaped slaves who had joined the Union Army helped her sell these baked goods.

After the war, Harriet returned to New York to find her home near foreclosure. She was always taking care of at least eight people in this tiny house, so she asked her friend, Sarah H. Bradford, to write her memoirs in hopes that its publication would pay the mortgage. Scenes in the Life of Harriet Tuhman was published in 1869. The second edition Harriet, The Moses of her People (1886) also by Ms. Bradford, helped raise money for a hospital for aging black folks.

Harriet was focused and concerned for the freedom and wellbeing of her people. She died on March 10th, 1913 in her nineties. She will never be forgotten.

—ChaduHck Cillenwater, Chestnut Hill Academy, IVA.

March - April 2009 Skipping Stones Page 21