Harriet Tubman: DEI Hire

A Reflection on Juneteenth

Many of you may not know that the National Park Service removed (and later restored, but whatever) Harriet Tubman’s information from their website.

She was born into slavery with the actual name Araminta on Maryland’s Eastern Shore in 1822, and changed her name to Harriet when she married her husband John Tubman in 1844. She escaped into freedom when her enslaver died, meaning she would again be sold. $100 was the bounty for her capture.

But let’s talk about why the NPS removed this stuff from their website.

After she ran away, Harriet spent her time as a “conductor” on the underground railroad. There is no record that Harriet had any experience with trains, or that she had any credentials in the train industry.

She served in the army as a spy, scout, nurse, and cook - and yet we’ve got no record of her having gone to nursing school or having trained as a chef.

Are we to believe that there were not literal dozens of white men who could have served in this capacity just as well and good as Harriet? We have no way of knowing how many qualified white guys applied for that job. History has been erased.

Clearly, she was given preferential treatment to get these jobs, and clearly she was just put on the website as a way to promote Black Women above more deserving white guys. (Notice how I capitalized both Black and Women but did not capitalize either white or guys - that is very, very important to show you how little recognition white males get these days!)

Tubman was buried with military honors at Fort Hill Cemetery, and yet she was not even a soldier.

Harumph.

Have we overlooked the likes of the well-deserving Ezekiel Jonesworthy? Ezekiel was a true train aficionado and possibly savant. Ezekiel was the heir to the Jonesworthy family fortune, his forefathers having a long history as button merchants. Ezekiel himself was not a merchant, but he did benefit from the fortune amassed by his grandfather and father. Ezekiel loved to watch trains, mimic the sound of trains, whistle like trains, and run down the tracks following trains. even at the age of 28 years old.

Having no wife or children, Ezekiel would often be found gazing lovingly at the trains as the pulled in and out of the station in his hometown of Arlington, Virginia. Despite the scolding of his father, who called him a good-for-nothing ne’er do well, Ezekiel found his true happiness all day long around trains. Any time his father would spy him chasing trains, Ezekiel would dash away to the cellar of the family home, where he kept sketches of trains made with the lumps of coal from their cookstove, drawn on the stone walls and bits of paper and receipts from the family business.

Underground, indeed.

So I point out - Ezekiel deserves a place in history right alongside the likes of Harriet, but never even had the chance to be recognized by the National Park Service.

Disgraceful.

And yet, the NPS has seen fit to restore Harriet to her place on their website without ever thinking of the brave men like Ezekiel. They just keep blustering up women like Harriet. They just keep making up fake holidays like Juneteenth. When will guys like Ezekiel get their day?

Be kind, friends.

And keep your humor intact.