Consul General Johnson attends Ceremony to Commemorate the life of Harriet Tubman

27 May 2011

Consul General Johnson addresses audience at Harriet Tubman plaque unveiling

On May 27, 2011, Consul General Kevin M. Johnson and local dignitaries attended a ceremony organized by Parks Canada and the U.S. Parks Service to unveil a plaque in honor of Harriet Tubman, an African-American abolitionist who helped slaves escape north and into Canada through the Underground Railroad.  The ceremony was held at the Salem Church in Saint Catharines, Ontario, a important shelter site for escaped slaves.  Consul General Johnson’s remarks centered on Ms. Tubman being a hero to both countries, indeed to all of humanity.  He added that friends are most important when we fail to live up to our highest values, and Canada was a shining light to the North for Americans seeking to escape from, and abolish, slavery.   This is just one example of why the U.S. is lucky to have the best neighbor a country could wish for.  In the mid-1800s, Saint Catharines was an important center for civil rights activities in Ontario.  After escaping from slavery, into which she was born, Harriet Tubman made thirteen trips to the southern United States to rescue more than 70 slaves using the network of safe houses known as the Underground Railroad.  She first arrived in Canada in 1851 with eleven freedom seekers.  For the next seven years, she continued to bring escaped slaves to Saint Catharines.  The plaque unveiling is an example of the shared history and values of racial and religious tolerance that the United States and Canada share.