Harriet Tubman gets her due

Editorial Board

Harriet Tubman, who guided dozens of slaves to freedom, had been free for a decade when in 1859 she bought a parcel of land on the outskirts of Auburn.

New Yorkers know there's no shortage of amazing women in American history. Women whose tireless and at times life-threatening work lead the way on social justice both locally and nationally.

As Rochestarians and Western New Yorkers, we've proclaimed with pride our link to women's suffragists Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. The Rochester community has a long history of battling discrimination and fighting for equality. And now we New Yorkers can be proud of our link to another woman whose indomitable spirit we should all extol: abolitionist, activist and humanitarian Harriet Tubman.

The Harriet Tubman National Historical Park in Auburn, Cayuga County, was formally established by U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell on Tuesday. The road to an appropriate level of recognition has been a long one for Tubman, who led hundreds of slaves to freedom on the Underground Railroad. But with this move, the woman who was called the Moses of her people is being given the respect due to such a significant figure in American history. And it's about time.

Watch the ceremony to establish the Harriet Tubman National Historical Park

The Harriet Tubman National Historical Park becomes the 414th unit in the National Park System, and it will include her residence and the historic Thompson Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church and rectory, located near the cemetery where she is buried.

For years, many have pushed to make this recognition a reality, with U.S. Sens. Charles Schumer, Kirsten Gillibrand and U.S. Rep. John Katko among those championing the fight.

Tubman's legacy is befitting of the park system that in 2015 drew 307,247,252 visitors. The national park service was established in 1916 to protect not only national parks and monuments but U.S. history and American stories as well. Tubman's story is an embodiment of the American ideals we hold so dear. She was a hero who risked her life to help others reach liberty; and she modeled altruism by opening her home to care for the indigent and aged.

The historical park designation, along with the U.S. Treasury Department announcement in 2016 that Tubman would replace Andrew Jackson on the $20 bill, cements the legacy of a woman who went from slave to abolitionist.

Visitors to the new Tubman historical site will be introduced to another great woman in American history, a woman all New Yorkers can be proud to add to the list of remarkable women with an Empire State connection.