Latest news with #HarrietTubman
Forbes
19-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Artists Help Share Little Known Escapade Of Harriett Tubman
'Forward,' by Jacob Lawrence (1967), tempera on masonite panel. North Carolina Museum of Art, purchased with funds from the State of North Carolina. © 2025 The Jacob and Gwendolyn Knight Lawrence Foundation, Seattle / Artists Rights Society, NY. It's the sort of story America loves telling about itself. A story promoting the idea of American exceptionalism. American military exceptionalism. A daring midnight raid. A hero. Captives rescued from under the nose of a wicked enemy. Freedom prevailing over evil. But Americans don't know this story by and large. It's been buried. The hero and villains don't fit the nation's stereotypical casting of those characters. Harriet Tubman (1822-1913) and a crew of formerly enslaved freedom fighters are the heroes of the Combahee River Raid. The bad guys–the villains–wealthy white Southern landowners. Enslavers. Men. A Black woman getting over on a bunch of white men. Popular American history didn't like that role reversal and spit the story out. Now through October 5, 2025, the Gibbes Museum of Art in Charleston, SC–about 30 miles north of where the Combahee River enters the Atlantic Ocean–revisits Tubman's escapade. The Combahee River Raid has never been explored this way. The museum exhibition features major works by some of America's leading artists including Jacob Lawrence (1917-2000) and Faith Ringgold (1930-2024), artists who've honored Tubman through more than 100 years up to the present day. Paintings and sculptures from collections across the country are combined with striking environmental photographs of the Combahee River shot by Charleston native J Henry Fair (b. 1959). Depicted is a serpentine landscape where the heroic raid took place. The artworks and photos are displayed alongside historical items, archival images, video reenactments of the Raid, and multimedia testimonials by descendants of the enslaved people who liberated themselves. The presentation was inspired by Edda Fields-Black's 'COMBEE: Harriet Tubman, the Combahee River Raid, and Black Freedom during the Civil War.' The book was awarded the 2025 Pulitzer Prize in History. Fields-Black is descended from a participant of the freedom raid. She teamed up with Fair, who provided photographs for her book, to pitch the museum about an exhibition related to the dramatic event. The Combahee River Raid 'Sunset reflected in the Combahee River,' photograph by J Henry Fair (2022). J Henry Fair In 1863, deep behind Confederate lines, Harriet Tubman led the largest and most successful slave rebellion in United States history. 756 enslaved people were liberated in six hours on that moonlit night in June. The total amounted to more than 10 times the number of enslaved people Tubman rescued during her decade of service as a conductor on the Underground Railroad. The Combahee River Raid was further remarkable because it was carried out by one of the earliest all-Black regiments of the Union army. Her group of spies, scouts, and other freedom fighters piloted three Union steamboats snaking up the lower Combahee River with Colonel James Montgomery of the Second South Carolina Volunteers and one battery of the Third Rhode Island Artillery. African Americans working in the rice fields on seven rice plantations along the Combahee heard the uninterrupted steam whistles of the US Army gunboats and ran to freedom. Toiling in South Carolina's rice fields–killing fields–was among the most brutal labor forced upon enslaved people in America. The morning after the Raid, 150 men who liberated themselves joined the Second South Carolina Volunteers and fought for the freedom of others through the end of the Civil War. The Combahee River Raid was a monumental moment in American history. A moment mostly eliminated from retellings of the war, and Tubman's biography. 'A highly successful military raid led by a Black woman defied race and gender norms of the time as well as traditional military authority,' Sara Arnold, Chief Curator and Director of Curatorial Affairs at the Gibbes Museum of Art, told 'Additionally, the number of people successfully liberated in the raid powerfully demonstrated the profound yearning for freedom held by those in bondage–a narrative that was suppressed in the aftermath of the war by Southerners in power.' As is often the case, 'Picturing Freedom: Harriet Tubman and the Combahee River Raid' proves the art museum can be the best history museum too. 'Picturing Freedom' 'Harriet Tubman,' by Aaron Douglas (1931), oil on canvas. Bennett College, Greensboro, NC. © 2025 Heirs of Aaron Douglas. Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society, NY. In 2022, Fields-Black and Fair approached Gibbes Museum President and CEO Angela Mack about the concept of a museum exhibition related to the Tubman book they were working on. 'As an art museum we immediately recognized the importance of placing a visual history around this historic milestone‒to tell this story through art,' Mack said. 'This is an epic American story with a national legacy and universal impact.' The Museum invited Vanessa Thaxton-Ward, Director of Hampton University Museum, to guest curate the show. She hand-picked artworks from across the United States. 'I want this exhibition to show that Tubman was a whole person–she was more than the conductor of the Underground Railroad,' Thaxton-Ward said. 'She was a wife, she was a mother, she was a daughter. We also wanted to show how hard life was for enslaved laborers in the rice fields, especially the children. Many of these families were brought to the region because of their prior knowledge of the rice culture in West Africa.' After the war, many returned to the same rice plantations from which they had escaped, purchased land, and started families. They created the distinctly American Gullah Geechee dialect, culture, and identity, celebrated today as one of Harriet Tubman's most significant legacies. The Gullah Geechee culture is marked by its unique language and living styles. Fields-Black's ancestors are from this area near Charleston and the Combahee River region; she is of Gullah Geechee descent. During the year-and-a-half that Fields-Black lived in the region researching her book, she walked the terrain where the historic river raid took place‒in the middle of the night under the light of the moon–retracing the freedom fighters' steps. The show carefully recreates the full journey of these brave soldiers and freedom seekers, including through a video re-enactment. One of the enslaved laborers who was freed during the raid will be portrayed in the video by the South Carolina-based actor, educator and author Ron Daise, known for his advocacy of and expertise in Gullah culture and language. Stephen Towns 'And I Shall Smite Thee,' 2018, by Stephen Towns (American, b. 1980). Natural and synthetic fiber, glass beads, metallic buttons, 46 x 58 inches. Private Collection. Gibbes Museum of Art 'Picturing Freedom' displays work from luminaries of American art history–William H. Johnson (1901-1970), and Aaron Douglas (1899-1979)–alongside contemporary artists. One of the more recent pieces is Kevin Pullen's (b. 1955) Can you break a Harriet (2024). The painting refers to the decade-plus effort to have Tubman honored on the U.S. $20 bill, replacing murderous tyrant and slaver Andrew Jackson. Stephen Towns (b. 1980) has a pair of Tubman quilted pictures in the exhibition, and a nearly unbelievable connection to the Gibbes. The South Carolina native formerly worked the front desk there part time more than 20 years ago. 'I was just trying to figure out how to get myself in the industry,' Towns told 'Being in South Carolina, there were very few opportunities and the Gibbes was the only art museum in the area.' Like most Americans, Towns only knew Tubman on the surface. She had a blurb in the World Book encyclopedia set his family owned growing up. He wanted to know more. 'Having read a couple of her biographies, she felt like a superhero to me,' Towns said. 'To think that someone has gone through as much as she went through, to have escaped being enslaved, and then to go back several times to get family members and friends, it's unheard of.' Learning more about Tubman's heroism, including the River Raid, inspired Towns to produce a series of Tubman quilts, two of which are in the show. One of those artworks, And I Shall Smith Thee (2018), recalls an episode from Tubman's life Towns found particularly powerful. 'When she was young, she was hit by this two pound weight that an enslaver had thrown at her, and from that period, she had these narcolepsy spells and dizzy spells where she could fall asleep at any time,' Towns explains. 'To realize that she had that throughout her life, these debilitating headaches, and she still did everything that she did through enslavement and also being a part of the women's movement, it's insane the accomplishments this woman has done.' Another aspect of Tubman's life most people don't realize. That American history glosses over. Tubman was disabled as a result of the childhood assault. She sustained a brain injury. In 1898, she underwent brain surgery in an attempt to relieve the pain. Without anesthesia. America doesn't like its heroes Black, female, or disabled. Tubman was all three. Illiterate on top of it all. Slaveholders, of course, withheld education from the enslaved, along with nearly everything else. Yet Tubman overcame it all. 'She was a young child, and she had gone into this general store, and she was protecting another enslaved person that was being abused,' Towns explained of the inspiration behind And I Shall Smite Thee . 'I used that moment as a moment of magical realism. I think for her, it kind of felt like magic, where she was in these fainting spells, and (had) these daydreams and these visions; that was her way of communicating to God to find different ways and routes of doing everything that she's done in her life. Even though that's a very painful moment, I use the power of that, and that's why you see her throwing a stone at the alligator.' And I shall smite thee. On Veterans Day, November 11, 2024, more than 100 years after her death, Tubman was posthumously commissioned as a Brigadier General by the Maryland National Guard. She was the first woman in the U.S. to lead an armed military operation during a war, yet she was never given official status by the military, and fought for decades for her military pension. More From Forbes Forbes International African American Museum Opens In Charleston, SC By Chadd Scott Forbes Stephen Towns Spotlights Workers At Bottom Of America's Economic Ladder By Chadd Scott
Time of India
16-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
What happened between N3on and The Breakfast Club? Streamer faces backlash over comments on Kai Cenat's mom
(Image via @BreakfastClubPower105.1FM/YouTube) Ragnesh 'N3on' is once again the center of online drama, and this time, it's not just the internet reacting, but the hosts of The Breakfast Club themselves. The 20-year-old Kick streamer appeared on the iconic hip-hop culture podcast and quickly found himself under fire for past comments involving Kai Cenat's mother and, unexpectedly, Harriet Tubman. The interview clips are now everywhere, and people can't stop watching. Tense vibes as N3on takes the hot seat on The Breakfast Club It started like any other Breakfast Club interview with questions, banter, and the usual digs. But just minutes into N3on's appearance, things took a sharp turn. Host Charlamagne Tha God directly confronted the streamer, asking him to address previous remarks he'd made about fellow streamer Kai Cenat's mom. N3on, visibly uncomfortable, refused to repeat what he had said, stating: 'I'm not going to repeat it… I would never say anything like that again.' Jess Hilarious confronts N3on with the quote that shocked everyone But Jess Hilarious wasn't about to let it slide. The energy went up several notches when Jess Hilarious cut in, clarifying exactly what had been said. She quoted N3on's original comment: 'He said you would fu*k his mom and he's a fat Harriet Tubman bi*ch.' Charlamagne's response was immediate and stunned: 'Jesus Christ. Not only did you disrespect Kai's mother, you disrespected Harriet Tubman?' Apologies, DMs, and a Harriet Tubman reference no one expected From there, the podcast turned into a slow-motion public reckoning. The hosts pressed N3on to confirm whether he had apologized to the parties involved - Kai, his mother, and even Harriet Tubman's family. While N3on claimed he had said sorry to Kai and his mom 'probably four times,' he admitted he hadn't apologized to Tubman's descendants. Jess responded with a straight face: 'That's my aunt.' The tension didn't ease up. According to N3on, when the interview wrapped, the entire panel, Charlamagne, DJ Envy, and Jess Hilarious, walked away without even offering a handshake. 'They didn't even shake my hand, bro. That's crazy,' N3on later told fans. Adin Ross jumps in with a fiery defense of N3on As the clips began making rounds on X (formerly Twitter), fellow Kick ambassador Adin Ross threw in his two cents — and didn't hold back. A pinned comment allegedly left by Adin was read out during the show: 'They're trying to belittle you and disrespect you. You sh**ted on all of them. They are weird as f**k. F**k them.' His defense only fueled the fire, sparking even more debate online over who crossed the line: N3on or the podcast hosts? A storm of memes, reactions, and split opinions Within hours, memes flooded the timeline. Some viewers sided with The Breakfast Club , praising them for calling out N3on's controversial remarks. Others argued the hosts were unnecessarily harsh and turned the interview into a roast session. One thing's clear: N3on's Breakfast Club debut won't be forgotten anytime soon. Whether it helps or hurts his career, the internet is definitely watching and talking. Catch Rani Rampal's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 4. Watch Here!
Washington Post
02-07-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
How Harriet Tubman led Civil War spies — and earned her military honors
Edda L. Fields-Black is the winner of the 2025 Pulitzer Prize in History, and the author of 'Combee: Harriet Tubman, the Combahee River Raid, and Black Freedom during the Civil War.' Kate Clifford Larson is the author of 'Bound for the Promised Land: Harriet Tubman, Portrait of an American Hero.' Harriet Tubman never formally enlisted in the U.S. military. She was a war hero nonetheless.
Wall Street Journal
20-06-2025
- Politics
- Wall Street Journal
‘Charles Sumner' Review: Fighting Slavery on the Senate Floor
Among the leaders of the Civil War era, figures such as Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman stand tall. Charles Sumner, the abolitionist and senator, was their contemporary—yet many Americans today associate his name with a single historical moment: when Preston Brooks, the representative from South Carolina, viciously beat him with a cane on the floor of the Senate Chamber in 1856. Sumner deserves to be remembered for much more than being the victim of Brooks's assault, argues Zaakir Tameez in his engrossing biography 'Charles Sumner: The Conscience of a Nation.' Mr. Tameez, a scholar of antitrust and constitutional law, has written an excellent book about the courageous Massachusetts senator, whom the author calls 'the most famous civil rights leader of the nineteenth century.' A physically and intellectually imposing figure whose heart 'bled for abolition, racial justice, and constitutional democracy,' Sumner pushed U.S. presidents and Senate colleagues alike to end slavery before the Civil War and to secure black rights during Reconstruction. Mr. Tameez's monograph joins Stephen Puleo's 'The Great Abolitionist' (2024) as the only two biographies of Sumner to have been published since David Herbert Donald's 'Charles Sumner and the Rights of Man' (1970). The excision of some repetitious material could have reduced the protracted length of Mr. Tameez's book, but 'Charles Sumner' is nonetheless an engaging account. Drawing from hundreds of letters, articles and speeches, Mr. Tameez has created a remarkable portrait of a complex man who faced many personal challenges. Depression stalked Sumner throughout his life, but his desire for racial justice gave him a sense of purpose and a will to live. As a young man, he struggled with his sexuality, partaking in 'romantic friendships' with married men—including Samuel Gridley Howe, the abolitionist and physician, and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, the poet—and failing to find happiness with Alice Hooper, who abandoned him after mere months of matrimony. Heart disease afflicted Sumner in his older age, causing painful episodes of angina that sapped his strength and impeded his ability to work. Sumner's unwavering commitment to uplifting African-Americans was informed by his childhood on the North Slope of Boston's Beacon Hill, where he was born, in 1811, in a predominantly black community. Mr. Tameez describes Sumner's birthplace as 'featuring gaslit lamps, steep cobblestone roads, and redbrick sidewalks'; these distinctive elements didn't emerge until years later, but Beacon Hill at the turn of the 19th century was exceptional in other ways. Approximately 1,000 free African-Americans lived there and helped produce a 'bubbling movement of Black abolitionism,' Mr. Tameez tells us, making the neighborhood 'a beacon of hope' at a time when slavery was still legal in many states.
Washington Post
19-06-2025
- General
- Washington Post
On Juneteenth, a march in D.C. that retraces the steps to freedom
A trombone blared as people marched across the 11th Street Bridge into Anacostia in D.C. on Thursday to celebrate Juneteenth, the holiday that commemorates the end of slavery in Texas. They held signs that read 'Let Freedom Ring' and 'Stay for the Joy.' In front, three children dressed as Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass and the spirit of the Anacostia River joined the crowd in singing the civil rights anthem, 'We Shall Overcome.' A 5-year-old sat on his dad's shoulders and raised his right fist into the air.
