My son brought home a book titled, “Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad” by Philip Steele and Roger Wade Walker from his school library. Sometimes I passively listen when he reads out loud, join in sometimes, or just let him enjoy his little adventure through the pages.
After he finished reading, I picked it up and read it myself. It’s a 27-page children’s book, so it was a quick read for the evening. The content is fair enough for a child’s mind. I read the book more out of curiosity because I saw the movie Harriet on Netflix in 2022. I recommend it if you love a bit of history.
By the way, there is a lot to unpack about Harriet Tubman that this blog will not do justice to. I recommend seeing this documentary by Dr. Eric Lewis Williams. It provides quite an insightful summary of the life of Harriet Tubman, born Araminta Ross (Minty for short).
A notable part of Harriet’s life was a head injury she sustained when she was around the age of 12/13.
One day in a store, a slave master ordered her to stop an enslaved young man from escaping. She refused, and in an attempt to hurl a two-pound metal weight at the runaway slave boy, he missed his target, and the object landed on Harriet’s head.
It was said that she passed out for about two days. After she was nursed back to health by her mother, the impact of the injury left a scar and dent on her head.
Following the injury, it was said that she started experiencing episodes of uncontrollable sleepiness in between conversations and when carrying out everyday activities that no one could rouse her from.
A biography written by her friend, Sarah H. Bradford observed, “…it was long before she recovered from this, and it has left her subject to a sort of stupor or lethargy at times; coming upon her in the midst of conversation, or whatever she may be doing and throwing her into a deep slumber from which she will presently rouse herself and go on with her conversation or work.”
It was noted that in her 70s, a visitor observed that Harriet would fall asleep at 30-minute intervals. Her head would drop, and she would sleep for 3-4 minutes, then wake up and continue talking without losing her thread of the conversation.
For Harriet, she received messages from God during those moments of sleep.
Scientists and researchers have given different names to the sleeping episodes that Harriet experienced – Hysteria, Schizophrenia, Narcolepsy, Temporal Lobe Epilepsy, among others.
Professor Graeme Yorston, a Consultant Psychiatrist with a wide range of clinical experience in the mental health field, did some research into what was responsible for Harriet’s vision. He acknowledged not being sure since there is no clinical history or brain scan done to draw a conclusion.
Since Harriet did not document her own story, one of her most famous quotes tells us a thing;
“I was a conductor for the underground railroad for eight years, and I can say what most conductors can’t say: I never ran my train off the track, and I never lost a passenger.”
For someone who made 13 missions to rescue approximately 70 enslaved people, including her family and friends and lost none, I guess she must have been very well directed from the communications or instructions she received during those sleeping bouts.
A personal copy of Harriet Tubman’s hymnal found in the National Museum of African American History and Culture gives us a sneak peek into what she fellowshipped with.
One of the quotes of Thomas Garrett found in Harriet Tubman’s Museum says this:
“I never met with any person, of any colour who had more confidence in the voice of God, as spoken direct to her soul… and her faith in a Supreme Power truly was great,” – Thomas Garrett 1868
If a head injury gave Harriet a vision of the future, we all probably need a two-pound weight plunged through their heads to at least know what would happen in 24 hours and make informed decisions.
What do you think?🤔
When I reflect on Harriet, these scriptures come to mind – Job 32:8, Isaiah 50:4, John 16:13.
Harriet Tubman’s sleeping episodes – a medical condition? A divine communication?
Only heaven will tell…
