We finally got around to watching the 2019 film, Harriet, which is about the remarkable life of 19th century emancipation hero, Harriet Tubman. She was born into slavery, escaped to the north as a young woman, then returned on a number of occasions to help others make the harrowing journey to freedom. She lived to be 90 or 91, which was a fitting reward for someone so willing to take risks with her own life for the benefit of others.
The film is certainly not bad, but it is a bit lacklustre because it's a hagiography -- O Lord, it's hard to be noble, even when you're a hero in every way. And the fictional aspects of this telling of her life detract from her actual accomplishments. Still, it was good to be reminded of what she did achieve, and there is even a passing scene from her time in Canada, which was a terminus on the Underground Railroad. .
Tubman suffered from "spells" of some kind through much of her life, likely because of a childhood head injury. In the film these trance-like moments are not so much an affliction as an opportunity for God to speak to her and through her. She receives direction and courage for what lies before her. Who knows how accurate this is, but it is meaningful in the film.
I wanted to see the movie because of recent news that the the congregation Tubman helped found in St. Catherine's, Ontario, has been granted $100,000 by the federal government for much-needed repairs to the historic Salem Chapel building.
We also heard recently that Harriet Tubman's visage will be on the American $20 bill, something which was supposedly to happen in 2020 but was postponed by the Voldemort administration. I do think it's important to know the story of Harriet Tubman, as a person of faith and of commitment to justice for all.
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