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I ran across this image of what was reported as a young photo of Harriet Tubman. This is not Harriet Tubman. This is Sarah Forbes Bonnetta. Sarah was a West African aristocrat that had close ties to Queen Victoria of the British royal family. I’m embarrassed and ashamed to say I was fooled too and I’m pretty sure I shared this image somewhere on the internet.

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Sarah-Forbes-Bonetta

The question that needs to be examined is why. Why did someone feel the need to give this great American hero an image upgrade? Why did this freedom fighter need a makeover? I guess bravery and self sacrifice isn’t enough for a woman. It looks like you need to be cute and fashionable too. This is so embarrassing.

I learned of the misinformation about the photo of young Harriet Tubman through this article. I sought out this image while preparing to answer the prompt about my favorite historical figure. I fell for the upgraded image too even though it’s a fake. I feel like I want to cry right now. This article with a verified photo of young Harriet Tubman is still embarrassing. The article presents Harriet Tubman almost as a social climber and a woman preoccupied with fashion. Yikes! What are we doing. It’s all so shameful.

Harriet Tubman escaped slavery to freedom and returned south nineteen times to lead others to freedom on the Underground Railroad. Harriet Tubman was a spy and nurse in the US Army. She provided leadership to the Combahee River Raid that liberated seven hundred slaves in the middle of the Civil War. Tubman provided intelligence to the 2nd South Carolina Volunteer Infantry which was a Black regiment.

There is nothing wrong with being fashionable or socializing in elite circles however that shouldn’t be what a woman of Harriet Tubman’s magnitude should be known for. She was extraordinary in monumental ways that supersede the fashion trends of her times. I’m glad I ran across this article but I can’t believe they used the words self care in an article about a war hero that stood for freedom and equality. I reject this madness and stupidity. I admonish myself for being shallow and enamored with that picture of my favorite American hero. From here on out I will fix my mind on elderly Harriet Tubman.