Ep. 84 | HARRIET -Traveling the Path of the Underground Railroad
HARRIET (2019), directed by Kasi Lemmons, featuring Cynthia Erivo as Harriet Tubman Photo: Glen Wilson, Focus Features
In Episode 84 The Boston Sisters talk with historian Anthony Cohen about the Underground Railroad and its legendary conductor Harriet Tubman as seen in the 2019 film HARRIET. In 1996, Anthony Cohen personally retraced the journey of the Underground Railroad and self-emancipation by foot, rail, and boat from Maryland to Canada. His walk got the attention of Oprah Winfrey who asked Anthony to prepare her for her role in the 1998 film BELOVED based on the Toni Morrison novel.
The Underground Railroad is one of the most important freedom stories in U.S. history. Underground Railroad is the name for a series of local networks of people who helped enslaved Black people escape from the Southern slave states to the free Northern states and Canada from the late 1700s to the end of the Civil War in 1865. This network of men and women, Black and White, worked together to create routes, set up safe houses, and served as conductors to accompany freedom seekers to their destination.
Anthony Cohen talks about his experiential approach to history, his work with Oprah Winfrey, and his mission to preserve the legacy of the Underground Railroad including plans for another freedom walk in 2026 for the 30th anniversary of his first Underground Railroad walk, and the 250th anniversary of the founding of the U.S. (more information in the bio).
REVOLUTION TO RIGHTS: AMERICA AT 250
Episode 84 is part of REVOLUTION TO RIGHTS: AMERICA AT 250, a 10-episode podcast series from Historical Drama with The Boston Sisters® that takes you on a journey through America’s 250-year history of advancing freedom and justice since the Declaration of Independence in 1776.
“Can you follow a physical path and recover history along that route? What would I find? Where are the communities that existed at that time, and may have aided or sheltered self-liberators? What’s happening in those places today? I wanted to test this theory that I could recapture history by walking it.”
Guest: Anthony Cohen
Anthony Cohen is a historian, author, and explorer of the American past. An early purveyor of experiential history, he launched his career in the spring of 1996, embarking on a two-month, 1200 mile journey to explore the Underground Railroad, the secret network that thousands of enslaved Black women and men traveled to attain their freedom.
Anthony Cohen is founder and president of The Menare Foundation, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to “Preserving the Legacy of the Underground Railroad,” and operates the Button Farm Living History Center, a 40-acre farm that depicts 1850s plantation life in Maryland.
Download Anthony Cohen’s complete biography from this link.
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HARRIET
HARRIET official trailer - Focus Features
The 2019 biopic HARRIET traces the escape from slavery to freedom of Minty Ross, and her transformation into the iconic American freedom fighter Harriet Tubman. Haunted by memories of those she left behind, Harriet Tubman ventures back into dangerous territory on a mission to lead others to freedom. With allies like abolitionist William Still, and the entrepreneurial Marie Buchanon, Harriet Tubman risks capture and death to guide hundreds to safety as one of the most prominent conductors of the Underground Railroad. Source: Focus Features
HARRIET is directed by Kasi Lemmons who wrote the screenplay with Gregory Allen Howard. The cast includes Tony Award-winning actress Cynthia Erivo (WICKED) as the freedom fighter Harriet Tubman, Tony Award-winning actor Leslie Odom, Jr. (“Hamilton”) as abolitionist and Underground Railroad conductor William Still, Janelle Monáe (entrepreneur Marie Buchanon), Clark Peters as Harriet’s father Ben Ross, Vanessa Bell Calloway as Harriet’s mother Rit Ross, Joe Alwyn (Gideon Brodess), and Vondie Curtis-Hall (Rev. Samuel Green), among others.
Where to find Underground Railroad and Harriet Tubman History
Podcast guest Anthony Cohen recommends using the NPS Underground Railroad Network to Freedom map to plan your visit to Underground Railroad sites across the country. Links to the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Visitor Center in Church Creek, MD and the Harriet Tubman Home in Auburn, NY are also included in the gallery below.
Over the years, the National Park Service (NPS) has worked to preserve Underground Railroad sites, history, and Harriet Tubman’s story as a freedom fighter and Underground Railroad conductor. Unfortunately we are witnessing recent efforts to remove and erase real, factual history from NPS public landmarks. You’re encouraged to make your concerns and observations of incomplete or redacted content known. You can also share good experiences about your visit at NPS parks and historical landmarks as well.
This link will take you to a webpage on the NPS website to submit feedback about your NPS experience.
