Member-only story
My Ancestors Were Conductors on the Underground Railroad
Like Harriet Tubman, they too helped others to get free
“Where are you from?” This is the question I am asked most frequently, beginning in my college years. Going to school in New York presented my first real opportunity to forge an identity, which I had no choice but to navigate. I often answered, “I’m Black American.” But my response wasn’t enough for a lot of people. As if being a person of color isn’t enough. I needed to provide them with more. Later in life, I would learn how to articulate my heritage as a fifth-generation American—descending from people who were conductors of the Underground Railroad, American Indians, as well as Quakers from the 1600s. I aim to tell this story as a different narrative: one that may not be all wrought with pain and suffering. Here’s the story of my connection to Harriet Tubman.
I always knew I was an outspoken beach bum, from my childhood spent on the beaches of Cape May to my twenties spent island-hopping as a freelance writer. Yet, unpacking my family tree and its deep history of freeing people from their oppressors was something I was unprepared to face as I searched on Ancestry. Sure, I heard a few huge anecdotes about how people on my mom’s side are related to John Wilkes Booth. I fondly remember my great-grandma telling us about Betsy Ross…
