It’s a shame that plans to introduce the Harriet Tubman $20 bill have been postponed until 2030 rather than in her bicentennial year, but that hasn’t stopped the United States and, in particular, the Mid-Shore, from making 2022 a memorable year in honoring this remarkable American hero.
One of those leading that effort has been Dana Paterra, the park manager for the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad State Park. Hired eight years ago to help plan for this multi-million dollar Maryland State Park, Paterra has been capturing and documenting (and some might say even channeling) Harriet waiting excitedly to this important milestone. Seeking to maximize the national spotlight, Dana has been working with local, state, and federal agencies as well as leaders from the Harriet Tubman Museum & Educational Center in downtown Cambridge to make the most of the next nine months.
This educational campaign kicks off at the Tubman State Park on March 11 for a weekend of special programming. Starting with the virtual premiere of Rooted Wisdom, a locally produced documentary made in partnership with Adkins Adbordeum, on how the knowledge of nature helped those seeking freedom in the 19th century, the celebration continues on Saturday for lectures, music, and the appearance of Harriet herself in the form a gifted reenactor.
This week, we sat down with Dina at the WHCP/Spy studio in Cambridge to get the lowdown.
This video is approximately three minutes in length. For more information on this event and others please go here.
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