Talented jazz artist Linda Harris and seven other women are beginning a journey to walk the Harriet Tubman Byway, from Cambridge, Maryland, to Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, on Sept. 5. “When I was 6, my father gave me a book about Harriet Tubman,” said Linda in a video about the upcoming walk. “The movie ‘Harriet’ from last year really got me going again about Harriet and how strong she was…. That just impacted me, especially now with the social unrest. I think it’s something that I need to do. I want to walk with Harriet for social justice.”
Linda put out a call for other walkers to join her, and seven signed up from Washington, DC, Virginia, West Virginia, and Maryland, including Dormaim Green of Cambridge, Maryland, where the Tubman Byway begins. The women hail range in age from their 30s to their 60s. They have been training since March to walk in the footsteps of Harriet Tubman. On Sept. 5, they are beginning at Brodess Farm, a byway stop where Tubman spent part of her childhood in slavery, and are walking 116 miles along portions of the Tubman Byway. (Some of the women are pictured here at Brodess Farm during one of their training walks.)
A singer and songwriter, Linda has performed worldwide and will also be performing during the Day of Resilience event on Sept. 12. She has even written a powerful song, “Freedom,” inspired by Harriet Tubman. She hopes to release a video of the song soon. We’ll link to it once that happens.
>> Learn more in this segment from 47ABC.
>> Follow the womens’ journey on the We Walk with Harriet Facebook page.
>> The women have started a GoFundMe page to benefit the Harriet Tubman Museum & Educational Center in downtown Cambridge.