Following Harriet

Virginia Tourism Corporation•www.virginia.org

Following Harriet is a podcast that takes a closer look at the life of one of the bravest and most extraordinary women in our country’s history. It also puts Harriet in a broader context, examining the 19th Century experience of African Americans, especially in Virginia.

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Episodes

Bonus: The Ultimate Outdoorswoman from Out There

Subtitle: How Harriet Tubman could change your perspective on who belongs outdoors Episode description: You probably learned about Harriet Tubman in school growing up — how she led slaves to freedom on the underground railroad. But she was a lot more than an activist and freedom fighter. She was a daughter, wife, entrepreneur — and a talented outdoorswoman. This bonus episode from the podcast Out There explores Tubman’s relationship with nature; we unpack how that history shapes the way Black Am...

Jun 17, 2021•29 min•Season 1Ep. 5

Bonus: Musician Rhiannon Giddens on Harriet

This bonus episode is a condensed version of our interview with musician, artist and activist Rhiannon Giddens. She’s a Grammy-winner, and you might know her as a founding member of the band Carolina Chocolate Drops. As we were really examining the experience of African Americans in the 19th Century, we discovered Rhiannon’s song, “At the Purchaser’s Option.” Rhiannon was inspired to write this song after seeing an advertisement where a man was attempting to sell a young woman he had enslaved. T...

Nov 01, 2019•19 min•Season 1Ep. 4

Harriet’s Legacy Today: Strength, Courage & Triumph

In this episode, we pull Harriet’s story and the story of the African American experience in 19th Century America right through to the present. We talk about why a movie like Harriet is so important to us as Americans at this time. In this episode we heard from historians Ed Ayers, Elvatrice Belschese, Jessica Millward (Finding Charity's Folk), Catherine Clinton (Harriet Tubman: The Road to Freedom) and Erica Armstrong Dunbar (She Came to Slay: The Life and Times of Harriet Tubman). We also hear...

Oct 22, 2019•23 min•Season 1Ep. 3

The Enslaved & the Virginia Freedom Seekers

As we learn about Harriet Tubman, we not only peer into the incredible life of one of our country’s most iconic heroes, we also get a better understanding of the broader experience for African Americans in the 19th Century. In this episode, we travel to museums throughout Virginia and to the presidential homes of Thomas Jefferson (Monticello) and James Madison (Montpelier) to hear how the stories of that African American experience are being told today. We hear from Eola Dance and Robin Reed fro...

Oct 22, 2019•24 min•Season 1Ep. 2

Becoming Harriet

Harriet Tubman was so much more than the short history lesson we heard got her in school. She was a wife and mother, an entrepreneur, a soldier, a spy, a nurse and an activist who fought for women’s right to vote. In this episode, we explore the life of one of the bravest and most extraordinary women in our country’s history through interviews with leading historians and educators. In this episode we hear from several historians – Erica Armstrong Dunbar from Rutgers University, Catherine Clinton...

Oct 22, 2019•32 min•Season 1Ep. 1

Introducing 'Following Harriet'

Most people first met Harriet Tubman in a black and white photo in a textbook. We all read a couple paragraphs about how she was a conductor in the Underground Railroad. She saved the lives of people attempting to flee from slavery. That was it. That was the end of the story we got. But Harriet Tubman was so much more than that. She was a wife and mother, an entrepreneur, a soldier, a spy, a nurse and an activist who fought for women’s right to vote. “Following Harriet” is a podcast that takes a...

Oct 09, 2019•2 min

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