Coralville woman portrays Harriet Tubman at event Sunday

CORALVILLE - Harriet Tubman, lauded for her role in the Underground Railroad, also served as a Civil War leader for the Union Army and became a suffragist.

These and other facts about the famous abolitionist will be brought to light during a live portrayal of Tubman's life at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Johnson County Historical Society, 860 Quarry Road, Coralville.

The program is performed by professional storyteller and Coralville resident Portia Byrd, who has fought against segregation her entire life, including marching in Washington, D.C., in August 1963 when thousands demanded civil and economic rights for African-Americans.

Alyssa McGhghy, event planner at the Johnson County Historical Society, said she wanted to plan events for Black History Month that broadened the scope of the facts students learned in school.

'Growing up, I never really learned that much about African-American history, except for Black History Month,” McGhghy said. 'As most museums, it's a struggle to get a younger crowd. I've noticed that when we do portrayals or re-enactments, people are more interested than walking through an exhibit.”

Engaging an audience is Byrd's specialty.

As a former librarian, Byrd began acting out the lives of historic figures to encourage children to learn about history and read.

'I've always admired (Tubman),” Byrd said. 'If you can read, you can do anything. I always made my storytelling ... so appealing that a child will want to take a book out and take it home and read.”

Byrd amassed her own knowledge of Tubman through reading biographies about the abolitionist. Once, Byrd portrayed Tubman so well that a young boy in the audience thought Byrd actually was Tubman.

McGhghy said the event provides a chance to learn the undiluted facts about African-American history during Black History Month.

'It's such an incredible way to seek out history,” McGhghy said. 'A lot of people, what they learn in history class, they believe. History is such an intricate thing. And appreciation for the struggle many individuals struggled through so we could have the rights we have is important. There's so much incredible history that doesn't get told.”

Byrd and McGhghy said they hope attendees walk away knowing more about Tubman, who was nicknamed 'Moses” for making about 13 missions to help other slaves escape. Tubman also became the first woman to lead an armed assault during the Civil War, and she later took part in the women's suffrage movement.

McGhghy said historical society members also plan to hand out information about historic Johnson County African-American leaders.

And while these facts about Tubman, other abolitionists and past African-American leaders may seem superficial, they're important to understand how history can add context to current events, McGhghy said.

'It honestly adds an appreciation for their lives,” she said of abolitionists. 'It makes you appreciate what we have today. This is a way to look back and get inspiration. It's nice to know in history what they fought for and what they did. Whenever something is happening in the world, you can look back and say, ‘this is similar. What did they do then?'

'You can always find the present in the past,” McGhghy said.

l Comments: (319) 368-8516; makayla.tendall@thegazette.com

If you go

l What

: Harriet Tubman, a portrayal by Portia Byrd

l When

: 2 p.m. Sunday

l Where

: Johnson County Historical Society, 860 Quarry Road, Coralville

l Cost

: Free