kathryn harris dressed as harriet tubman speaking and holding a walking stick

Meet Harriet Tubman

  • Event Date: Saturday, February 26, 2022
  • Time: 2:00pm (CST)
  • Location: Online via Zoom
  • Cost: Free

On February 26 at 2:00 pm, the Spurlock Museum is pleased to present Kathryn Harris in the first-person historical program "Meet Harriet Tubman." Listen to the words of the most famous woman who worked in the Underground Railroad. Hear about her fascinating and unbelievable experiences! After the presentation, Ms. Harris will answer questions from the audience.

This program will be broadcast over Zoom.

Zoom Details

Join online

Zoom programs hosted by a University of Illinois unit, such as the Spurlock Museum, will be accessible only to those coming to the program from a device that has Zoom installed on it. Please have Zoom downloaded on your device.

About the Performer

Kathryn Harris is a graduate of Southern IL University—Carbondale. She is the first woman and the first African American to serve as the President of the Abraham Lincoln Association since its inception in 1909. She received her Master of Library Science degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and retired in 2015 as the Library Services Director of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library, formerly the IL State Historical Library, after more than 25 years of service.

Ms. Harris currently serves on the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum Board of Trustees, as well as the Board of the Springfield and Central Illinois African American History Museum. She is on the Board of Advisors of the LINCOLN Forum (Gettysburg) and was chosen as an Illinois Library Luminary Honoree.

Ms. Harris presents other first-person performances celebrating historic 19th century African American women: Jarena Lee, the first female preacher in the African Methodist Episcopal Church,and Elizabeth Keckley, seamstress and confidante of First Lady Mary Lincoln. These presentations can be reserved for school classes, as well a civic, church and social groups.


Illinois Arts Council greyscale logo of a textile overlaid by a winged figure silhouette

This program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency.

Please note that this program does NOT take place at the Spurlock Museum.

Contact

For further information on this event, contact the Museum Information Desk at or (217) 333-2360

All participants are welcome. To request disability-related accommodations for this event, please contact Brian Cudiamat at or (217) 244-5586.