WHEREAS, It was resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress, that March 10, 1990 be designated as “Harriet Tubman Day”, to be observed by the people of the United States with appropriate ceremonies and activities; and
WHEREAS, In celebrating Harriet Tubman’s life, we remember her commitment to freedom and her extraordinary courage; and
WHEREAS, When Harriet Tubman escaped her own slavery by reaching Philadelphia, she said
"I was a stranger in a strange land. My father, my mother, my brothers and sisters and friends were in Maryland. But I was free and
they
should be free”; and
WHEREAS, Harriet Tubman led hundreds of slaves to freedom by making at least 19 trips through the network of hiding places known as the Underground Railroad; and
WHEREAS, Harriet Tubman was sheltered at Philadelphia’s Johnson House in Germantown, a hub of the Underground Railroad and would guide African-Americans from the slave states to Lucretia Mott’s house in Cheltenham; and
WHEREAS, March 10, 2016 is the 103rd Anniversary of Harriet Tubman’s death; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That we hereby recognize and honor Harriet Tubman’s history on March 10th in observance of “Harriet Tubman Day” in the City of Philadelphia.
End