At first glance, that title sounds like a woman who vacuums all the floors in one house in under five minutes. I am referencing a woman who was ballsy enough to escape from slavery to freedom and then return to enemy territory over 19 times to free more than 300 slaves – and this is not the most fascinating thing about her life.
Harriet Tubman is a superhero. I am not being at all facetious. Think about it. In comic book lore, the birth place of super heroes, a superhero is born under tough circumstances. Some incident happens that endows them with supernatural powers. They witness some injustice that he/she feels compelled to fight against. They feel an innate desire to fight for the underdog. They spend their lives in pursuit of justice while remaining humble, sometimes their true identity hidden. This is the plot for nearly every super hero born, from Spiderman to the Hulk.
Still skeptical? Read the following little known facts about Tubman:
- Harriet Tubman’s actual birthday is unknown. It is believed that she was born between 1819 and 1823.
- Her birth name was Araminta Ross. She was nicknamed “Minty” by her mother.
- Tubman’s maternal grandmother, Modesty, arrived on a slave ship from Africa. There is no information about her other ancestors.
- Harriet had eight siblings: Linah (1808), Mariah Ritty (1811), Soph (1813), Robert (1816), Ben (1823), Rachel (1825), Henry (1830), and Моses (1832).
- When Harriet was a teenager she suffered a head injury when an overseer threw a heavy metal at a runaway slave and instead hit her in the head.
- As a result of the injury she suffered from sleeping spells, she would suddenly fall asleep and it was difficult to wake her up. It gave her visions and dreams that she considered signs from God. Religion faith was the reason she risked her life guiding slaves to freedom.
The following stood out to me as an example of her extraordinary strength and endurance:
- Unable to sleep, Tubman underwent brain surgery in Boston’s Massachusetts General Hospital. She refused anesthesia, instead she insisted to chew a bullet just like soldiers did when they had their legs amputated.
Harriet Tubman was a ‘G’. No, excuse me, a superhero.
I read a book by Walter Mosley entitled, “47”. It is a story about a 14 year old slave who meets Tall John. Tall John possesses the magic and strength of a super hero. In Harriet Tubman, we have all of the elements of a great super hero tale and its TRUE!
Now to work on her name. Super Harriet just does not have a ring to it. Her birth name was Araminta. That sounds like a fitting super hero moniker.
Introducing Araminta, the Amazing.