Had the real honor of visiting Harriet Tubman’s grave in Auburn, NY. Went with Prof. Arthur Flowers who’s always great at giving narratives you can’t find anywhere on the wiki. the real lived stuff, usually. So we arrived around noon and the sun was high and never seen skies so clear. Her grave is an easy find, resting beneath a big old evergreen tree whose roots extend to a large part of the cemetery without being a threat to the graves. We paid our respects and rested for a little while.
Among the gifts (not ours) was a yellow Sankofa T-shirt, a Black Liberation Flag, USA flag, A potted plant, a veteran’s medal, and money! Got really tickled by the latter. The woman still receives money–to help her movement, right. A luta Continua. But the real amazement was to find money there, could have been ten bucks or more, there was clearly a $5 and several notes of $1. Of course I have no idea how long it may have been there, but still, a cemetery is a public place. Yet before our eyes we were witnessing a sacred thing not tampered with. True respect.
It occurred to me I should have planted a Ugandan flag. Forget flowers. Now I’m checking Amazon and other sites to see where I can make the purchase, and then another visit. It was in Uganda I first read about Harriet Tubman and her Underground Railroad. Such knack, courage and faith! Certainly her actions and influence are world-wide. So I thought I should say, Dear Harriet, I’ve brought you my country flag in recognition of your revolution. Next time.
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