Van Hollen, UMES pay tribute to Harriet Tubman

Harriet Tubman, a woman born into slavery on a Dorchester County farm who later escaped and led others to freedom, may be honored with a statue in the halls of the U.S. Capitol under legislation introduced last week.

“It’s really important that we celebrate her incredible story,” said U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Maryland, the bill’s sponsor, during a stop Monday at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, an historically black campus, during Black History Month.

Van Hollen joined UMES President Julliette Bell in front of the Frederick Douglass Library, named for the former slave from Talbot County who went on to become an abolitionist and a widely respected author, editor and diplomat.

Douglass died Feb. 20, 1895, so Van Hollen and event organizers thought it would be an appropriate tribute to make the Tubman announcement on the anniversary of Douglass' death at a building named in his honor, campus officials said. Tubman’s legacy also will be celebrated March 11, when the visitors' center at the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park formally opens near Cambridge.

Bell told the crowd gathered outside in the springlike weather that the Eastern Shore honors both Tubman's and Douglass' legacies that began on Delmarva.

“This is the place where the quest for freedom began,” she said.

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Monday’s event also included Eunice Lewis Seagraves, an actress who portrayed Tubman, talked about Tubman's life as a slave in Dorchester County and sang spirituals. The brief performance was part of a longer play, "Harriett Tubman: Defender," written by UMES graduate Percy Thomas.

The senator also met with students and university leaders, including Bell, before heading to a private meeting with local farmers.

Van Hollen said he was happy to spend Presidents Day on the Eastern Shore, away from the Capitol.

“It’s been a little crazy in Washington, D.C.,” he said.

Van Hollen, who was sworn into office last month as longtime U.S. Sen. Barbara Mikulski's successor, said he is hoping to get bipartisan support for the bill to honor Tubman.

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