Current:Home > MarketsHarriet Tubman posthumously named a general in Veterans Day ceremony -DataFinance
Harriet Tubman posthumously named a general in Veterans Day ceremony
View
Date:2025-04-14 03:00:45
CHURCH CREEK, Md. (AP) — Revered abolitionist Harriet Tubman, who was the first woman to oversee an American military action during a time of war, was posthumously awarded the rank of general on Monday.
Dozens gathered on Veterans Day at the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad State Park in Maryland’s Dorcester County for a formal ceremony making Tubman a one-star brigadier general in the state’s National Guard.
Gov. Wes Moore called the occasion not just a great day for Tubman’s home state but for all of the U.S.
“Today, we celebrate a soldier and a person who earned the title of veteran,” Moore said. “Today we celebrate one of the greatest authors of the American story.”
Tubman escaped slavery herself in 1849, settling in Philadelphia in 1849. Intent on helping others achieve freedom, she established the Underground Railroad network and led other enslaved Black women and men to freedom. She then channeled those experiences as a scout, spy and nurse for the Union Army during the Civil War, helping guide 150 Black soldiers on a gunboat raid in South Carolina.
Nobody would have judged Tubman had she chosen to remain in Philadelphia and coordinate abolitionist efforts from there, Moore said.
“She knew that in order to do the work, that meant that she had to go into the lion’s den,” Moore siad. “She knew that leadership means you have to be willing to do what you are asking others to do.”
The reading of the official order was followed by a symbolic pinning ceremony with Tubman’s great-great-great-grandniece, Tina Wyatt.
Wyatt hailed her aunt’s legacy of tenacity, generosity and faith and agreed Veterans Day applied to her as much as any other servicemember.
“Aunt Harriet was one of those veterans informally, she gave up any rights that she had obtained for herself to be able to fight for others,” Wyatt said. “She is a selfless person.”
Tubman’s status as an icon of history has only been further elevated within the last few years. The city of Philadelphia chose a Black artist to make a 14-foot (4.3-meter) bronze statue to go on display next year. In 2022, a Chicago elementary school was renamed for Tubman, replacing the previous namesake, who had racist views. However, plans to put Tubman on the $20 bill have continued to stall.
veryGood! (93)
Related
- Biden administration makes final diplomatic push for stability across a turbulent Mideast
- Oprah's Done with the Shame. The New Weight Loss Drugs.
- Arizona man arrested for allegedly making online threats against federal agents and employees
- US is engaging in high-level diplomacy to avoid vetoing a UN resolution on critical aid for Gaza
- Questlove charts 50 years of SNL musical hits (and misses)
- New Beauty I'm Obsessed With This Month: Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez, Murad, Maybelline, and More
- 'You see where that got them': Ja Morant turned boos into silence in return to Grizzlies
- Chemical leaks at cheese factory send dozens of people to the hospital
- Federal court filings allege official committed perjury in lawsuit tied to Louisiana grain terminal
- Timothée Chalamet Addresses His Buzz-Worthy Date Night With Kylie Jenner at Beyoncé Concert
Ranking
- Trump invites nearly all federal workers to quit now, get paid through September
- NFL Week 16 odds: Moneylines, point spreads, over/under
- Taylor Swift baked Travis Kelce 'awesome' pregame cinnamon rolls, former NFL QB says
- One Tree Hill's Paul Johansson Reflects on Struggle With Depression While Portraying Dan Scott
- McConnell absent from Senate on Thursday as he recovers from fall in Capitol
- Coal mine cart runs off the tracks in northeastern China, killing 12 workers
- California’s top prosecutor won’t seek charges in 2020 fatal police shooting of Bay Area man
- Wisconsin prosecutor appeals ruling that cleared way for abortions to resume in state
Recommendation
'Kraven the Hunter' spoilers! Let's dig into that twisty ending, supervillain reveal
Your single largest payday may be a 2023 tax filing away. File early to get a refund sooner
Nantz, Childress, Ralph and Steve Smith named to 2024 North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame class
Syracuse vs. University of South Florida schedule: Odds and how to watch Boca Raton Bowl
Meet first time Grammy nominee Charley Crockett
Meet the Russian professor who became mayor of a Colombian city
ICHCOIN Trading Center: A Historical Review
China emerged from ‘zero-COVID’ in 2023 to confront new challenges in a changed world