Maryland Governor Larry Hogan has proclaimed the year 2022 for Harriet Tubman, the abolitionist and military scout who helped advance freedom for African Americans during the Civil War era.
Tubman, whose birth name was Araminta Ross, was born into slavery in 1822 in Dorchester County, Maryland. During the Civil War, Tubman was key in creating a secret network of antislavery activists and safe houses, known as the Underground Railroad, that helped escaped slaves from the south travel to freedom in the northern U.S. and Canada.
As the state celebrates the 200th anniversary of Tubman’s birth, Hogan made the declaration on Saturday during a visit to the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad State Park and Visitor Center in Church Creek.
“It is truly inspiring to think about how we can walk along the same path she did,” Hogan said, encouraging visitors to come to the park, “where she forged her indelible legacy of freedom.”
Hogan’s visit kicked off a weekend of events celebrating the Maryland-born Underground Railroad conductor.
Also at the event was Maryland Commerce Secretary Mike Gill, who encouraged visitors to Maryland to celebrate Tubman’s extraordinary life by traveling in her footsteps, especially along the Tubman Byway.”
The Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad All-American Road Scenic Byway, nearly 125-miles long, traverses the land-and-waterscape in Maryland similar to what Tubman would have experienced. Some current tributes along the Byway include:
- Banneker-Douglass Museum, Annapolis
- Great Blacks in Wax Museum, Baltimore City
- Harriet Tubman Museum & Education Center, Cambridge
- Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History, Baltimore City
This weekend also marks the fifth anniversary of the opening of the park and visitor center, which has welcomed over 300,000 guests since its opening in 2017.