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Conflict Of
A Weekly Column By Walter B. Hoye II
Interest
In the abortion debate, is there a "Conflict of Interest"
within the Black community and among her leaders?

Subscribe Unsubscribe Forward Archives Issue No.: 2011.073

Harriet Tubman
"I had reasoned this out in my mind, there was one of two things I had a right to, liberty or death; if I could not
have one, I would have the other." — Harriet Tubman 1

Harriet Tubman (born "Araminta Ross," Circa March

1822 — March 10th, 1913) was a Black Abolitionist who
escaped slavery, became a Union Spy during the American
Civil War and made thirteen (13) missions to rescue hundreds
and some say thousands of slaves, via a network of safe
houses known as the Underground Railroad. As a child in
Dorchester County, Maryland, Tubman was beaten by various
slave masters to whom she was hired out. At the age of 12 she
Harriet Tubman
was hit in the head by a White overseer for refusing to tie up a
slave who attempted escape. The injury resulted in disabling
seizures and headaches which occurred throughout her entire life. Married
to John Tubman, a free Black man at the age of 25, Mrs. Tubman was a
Suffragette known to celebrate the strength of Black women and fought all
her life for their dignity and respect. While a Bounty of $40,000 was offered
by plantation owners for her capture, Tubman was never captured and spoke
often and publicly about her experiences. As a Devout Christian, Harriet
described her visions and vivid dreams as revelations from God. In light of
March being celebrated as Women's History Month, this Heroine Of Great
Faith comes to mind.

Despite The Laws Of The Land

"I would fight for my liberty so long as my strength lasted, and if the time came for me to go, the Lord would let
them take me." — Harriet Tubman 2
 Despite the laws of the land that
allowed slavery, the Fugitive Slave
Law or Fugitive Slave Act was
passed by the United States Congress
on September 18, 1850. As part of the
Compromise of 1850 between the
Outrage At The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 slave holding interests of the South
and the political interests of North, the
Fugitive Slave Law allowed for the return of escaped slaves to the south.
Sister Tubman's courage and strength exposed the dark cruelty of slavery as
she removed its cloak of acceptability by liberating her people. Even the risk
of being betrayed by her own people did not compromise her convictions.
Harriet Tubman who once said: "I freed a thousand slaves [and] I could
have freed a thousand more if only they knew they were slaves," 3
tirelessly continued to lead "whosoever will be free" to freedom. Perhaps
Frederick Douglass said it best when he wrote in a letter to honor her: "I
know of no one who has willingly encountered more perils and
hardships to serve our enslaved people than [Harriet Tubman]." 4 Harriet
is truly a model for those of us fighting for life and liberty today.

21st Century Abolitionists

"Never wound a snake; kill it." — Harriet Tubman 5

As was the case in Harriet Tubman's day when slaves

were legally recognized as property and not persons,
so is the case today for children inside the womb of their
mothers. Just like slave owners justified slavery by
arguing for "property rights," today Planned Parenthood
justifies taking the God given life of a pre-born child by
arguing for "reproductive rights." Like the Kidnappers
and Slave Catchers in the 1800s, the abortion industry
1850 Boston Slave Notice
today pursues any baby that escapes its net of
unconscionable and unconstitutional laws such as this
year's New York City's City Council Bill No. 371 with taxpayer dollars.

Nonetheless and in the face of what appears to be overwhelming odds, like

the Underground Railroad of Harriet Tubman's day, Pregnancy Care
Centers and other ministries such as Rachel's Vineyard, Abortion Recovery
InterNational, Inc., Silent No More Awareness and the On One Accord
Foundation, across the country, serve as safe havens for women providing
health care services, counseling, community, food, lodging, money and even
support for those that need help finding jobs. By reaching one woman and
one child at a time and serving as stops along the way to biblically-based
reproductive freedom for women, such ministries are today's 21st Century
Abolitionists.
By 1831 railroading terms were being used to refer to the Underground
Railroad. The homes and businesses where runaway slaves rested were
called "Stations" and "Depots." The "Stations" and "Depots" led by
"Stationmasters." "Conductors" were responsible for moving slaves from
one station to the next. Those who contributed money or goods were called
"Stockholders." 6 Using modern day financial terms, I am asking each of us
to take stock of the horrific reality of thirty-eight (38) years of legalized
abortion in America and invest our time, talent and treasure in today's
Underground Railroad.

Brothers, we really need to talk.

Reference(s):
1. Jone Johnson Lewis 1997 -2005, "Harriet Tubman Quotes," I regret that I am not be able to provide more details
regarding the original source. For more information visit (http://bit.ly/eMcxAX).
2. Ibid.
3. Ibid.
4. Bradford, Sarah (1961). Harriet Tubman: The Moses of Her People. New York: Corinth Books, pp. 134 -135.
5. Jone Johnson Lewis, op. cit.
6. PBS Online, "The Underground Railroad," circa 1780 - 1862 (http://to.pbs.org/7EYEAG).

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