Res. No. 1242 Title Resolution calling on the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly to enact legislation that will designate March 10th of each year to be known as Harriet Tubman Day. Body By Council Member Perkins, Spigner, Robinson, Reed, Clarke, Nelson, Eisland, Lopez, Marshall, Freed, Malave-Dilan, Robles, Eldridge, Carrion, DiBrienza, Michels, Espada, Linares, Quinn, Rodriguez, Warden, Watkins and Wooten; also Council Members Fisher, Foster, Harrison and Pinkett Whereas, In the dark period of slavery in America, Harriet Ross Tubman was a beacon of hope and she is now remembered as a patriot and a heroine worthy of the utmost praise and reverence of all Americans; and Whereas, Harriet Tubman may have been born into the inhumane practice of slavery on the Eastern Shore of Maryland around 1820 but she was determined to reclaim the rights that had been denied to herself, her family and her people by escaping the bondage of the plantation and more significantly, bringing over 300 other slaves to freedom; and Whereas, Harriet Tubman escaped to the North in 1849 and settled in Philadelphia where she met William Still, the Philadelphia Stationmaster of the Underground Railroad, the famous network of abolitionists and humanitarians that assisted African-Americans in their escape from slavery; and Whereas, Harriet Tubman soon became a "conductor" on the Underground Railroad, relocating several members of her family; and Whereas, After making the acquaintance of United States Senator, Secretary of State and former New York State Governor William H. Seward and his wife Frances, the Sewards provided Ms. Tubman with a home in Auburn, New York which became the new base of operations for the Underground Railroad; and Whereas, At the onset of the Civil War, Harriet Tubman was the most influential conductor of the Underground Railroad, freeing approximately 300 slaves and paving the way for freedom for countless others; and Whereas, A true American patriot, humanitarian, freedom fighter and a proud New York State resident, Harriet Tubman worked as a nurse and a cook for the Union Army; a spy behind Confederate lines and a scout for raiding parties,; and Whereas, Harriet Tubman's singular contributions to the Underground Railroad and as a result, to the advancement of African-Americans places her among the most significant figures in American history, having stood for freedom from oppression, the very principle that this country was founded upon; and Whereas, Ms. Tubman maintained her role as an unwavering voice of freedom for her entire life and stood in the face of great adversity to become an American hero; and Whereas, After her death in 1913, Harriet Tubman was buried in Fort Hill Cemetery in Auburn, New York and currently, her Auburn home and property are registered as National Historic Landmarks and part of the National Parks Service Freedom Trail; and Whereas, Harriet Tubman became the first African-American woman to be honored on a U.S. postage stamp; now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York calls upon the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly to enact legislation that will designate March 10th of each year to be known as Harriet Tubman Day. MW:bg LS#2736 D-Res.#3 2/22/00 |10
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