Have you heard of Harriet Tubman? She was a very important person in American history. She escaped enslavement. She risked her life to help many others escape as well. She traveled far and wide. She spoke about the evils of slavery.
How did she pay for these activities? In the early 1850s, she worked in a town called Cape May, New Jersey. Cape May had many seaside resorts. She was a cook and a housekeeper. She used the money she earned to help pay for her work against slavery.
Tubman was not the only person in Cape May working against slavery. The town was known for its abolitionist (the movement to get rid of slavery) activities. One block at the intersection of Lafayette and Franklin Streets was particularly important. It featured the home of an important abolitionist. It included the only summer resort for free Black people in the country. It was the location for a church that strongly condemned slavery. Now, it is the site of the Harriet Tubman Museum. Visitors can learn about the life of Harriet Tubman. They can discover the importance of Cape May to the abolitionist movement.
The Harriet Tubman Museum is part of the New Jersey Black Heritage Trail. It highlights important sites of Black heritage and resilience in New Jersey’s history. Other sites include the locations of early free Black communities. Historic Black churches are honored. Important protests against injustice are remembered. The Count Basie Center for the Performing Arts honors the legacy of one of the country’s greatest musicians. The newly renovated Hinchliffe Stadium honors the legacy of the Negro Baseball League. Today, there are 32 sites on the New Jersey Black Heritage trail. There will be many more sites named.
What Do You Think? How does your community honor its heritage?
Photo Credit: Rosemarie Mosteller/Alamy Stock Photo
