ADAMS, Mass. - February 15 marks Susan B. Anthony’s 203rd birthday, and for the celebration this year, her birthplace museum also chose to honor Harriet Tubman for the significant impact she made on American history.


What You Need To Know

  • The Susan B. Anthony Birthplace Museum held a birthday celebration for Anthony which was themed "The Heart of Harriet Tubman"

  • According to her birthplace museum, Susan B. Anthony and Harriet Tubman's lives were intertwined in the 19th century through social activism

  • Part of the event featured the revealing of a replica statue of Harriet Tubman

  • The full-size “Journey to Freedom” statue was first unveiled at the Harriet Tubman Museum in Cape May, New Jersey in 2020 and is currently on a traveling exhibition around the U.S.

A replica of the “Journey to Freedom” sculpture, which depicts Harriet Tubman leading an enslaved child to freedom, was the centerpiece for a discussion on Sunday about how Tubman, Susan B. Anthony and others worked to abolish slavery.

“Black history is American history," said Cindy Mullock, executive director of the Harriet Tubman Museum of New Jersey. "This is so critical to our understanding of our national story. And so, being able to share this history of these abolitionist heroes with so many people is really inspiring.”

Author Carol Crossed said many associate Anthony with her work fighting for womens’ voting rights, but don’t realize the role she played as an anti-slavery agent in the 19th century - including being a station master for the underground railroad.

“Her diary entry said, 'fitted out a fugitive slave for Canada with the help of Harriet Tubman,'” Carol Crossed read.

“What an incredible pair of courageous activists, both dedicated to abolition of slavery, both dedicated to the suffrage movement," Mullock said. "They both, you know, would go out and speak on these tours maybe 100 times a year that they would give their speeches to various communities.”

After the abolition of slavery, the two women worked closely together trying to guarantee a woman’s right to vote. Crossed said sharing their stories now can help communities learn more about the history of the country.

“History is everything," Crossed said. "If we don't know our history, it's like a house without a foundation, it's like a tree without roots. It helps to inform us, to engage us and to understand the present, and also to help us to develop the future.”

The full-size “Journey to Freedom” statue was first unveiled at the Harriet Tubman Museum in Cape May, New Jersey and is currently on a traveling exhibition. The replica will be on display at the Susan B Anthony Birthplace Museum for at least a month.