Kathryn Harris as Harriet Tubman

Kathryn Harris of Springfield, Illinois, began portraying Harriet Tubman more than 30 years. On Sunday, June 22, she will bring her presentation to Edwardsville as part of the Madison County Historical Society’s Speaker Series. “Harriet Tubman: The Moses of Her People,” will be performed at 2 p.m. on June 22 at the Main Street Community Center in Edwardsville.

Harriet Tubman was born into slavery in Maryland in 1822 and escaped to Pennsylvania where she lived as a freewoman dedicated to the abolition of slavery. As a conductor on the Underground Railroad she led approximately 70 African American enslaved people to freedom in the North. It was dangerous work, since if caught, as a Black woman, she could have been returned to slavery or killed.

Before her retirement, Harris was the director of library services at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library in Springfield, from 1990-2013. She made the study of Harriet Tubman her lifetime avocation. She shared that scholarship with others by representing Tubman in over 300 presentations to organizations, school groups, and others over the last three decades.

MCHS is grateful that Harris is bringing this program to Edwardsville. It provides a wonderful opportunity for students of all ages to learn the inspiring story of Harriet Tubman. This program is free and open to the public.