Harriet Tubman Bicentennial STEM Program
In October and early November, we had the opportunity to lead a "historic" STEM program along with our partners from the Fruitland Community Center and YEES WE CAN. The project celebrated the bicentennial of Harriet Tubman by exploring her life and history and the use of the natural world, including the night sky, to navigate her way and assist others to freedom. We developed a multi-part program consisting of a field trip to the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historic Park in Church Creek, Maryland, and a follow-up astronomy night at Hazel Outdoor Discovery Center in Eden, Maryland.
Upon arrival at the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Visitor Center, we received a ranger welcome. The students spent the morning inside the Visitor Center, learning about Harriet Tubman's life and role in the UGRR. In addition, students completed activities required to earn their Jr. Ranger patch. After lunch in the pavilion, we hosted Tony Cohen, experiential historian, and expert on the Underground Railroad. He engaged us in discussing the natural world and how Harriet and others used their knowledge to navigate north to freedom. Next, Tony led us to explore the trails surrounding the Visitor Center, asking us to put ourselves in the shoes of those navigating to freedom. Subsequently, students broke into small groups, identified flora and fauna encountered, and then shared how it could help us on our journey north.
Finally, we boarded the bus to pay a visit to the Bucktown Country Store, the site of Tubman's fateful head injury. The historic building still stands as a rare survivor from her era. The general store's counter, shelving, and paint are original to the site. It was incredible to see what Harriet Tubman saw and touch what she touched. It was here that Harriet was tragically struck in the head with a two lb. weight when an enslaved boy was on the run, and his overseer was attempting to catch him. Harriet intervened and was injured. As a result of her injury, Harriet suffered from seizures for the remainder of her life. However, she credits those events as critical to her reception of messages and guidance from God, which helped her seek & lead others to freedom.
Two weeks later, we reconvened for an astronomy night under the same skies Harriet would have seen. We started our evening with a fire over which we cooked hot dogs and s’mores. Two astronomers, Dylan and Hunter, led us on a journey to explore the celestial wonders overhead. First, we identified the north star, Polaris, which Harriet and others knew would guide them to freedom. Then, in addition to the north star, the Moon, Jupiter, and Saturn, Dylan and Hunter used their telescopes to show us deep sky objects such as the Ring Nebula, E.T. Cluster (NGC 457), Dumbell Nebula, Eastern Veil Nebula, Double Cluster, and our nearest galactic neighbor, the Andromeda Galaxy. It was a night to remember!
Participants will also participate in further exploration of astronomy in our Explore the Cosmos STEM Academy module early in 2023. We hope to repeat this program, connecting our local youth to the history of the Eastern Shore.
The Fruitland Community Center funded the Harriet Tubman Bicentennial STEM Project through a generous grant from Depcom Power.