U.S. Naval Academy (USNA) Midshipman 1st Class Tiana Williams presented an official proclamation from Governor of Maryland Larry Hogan to commemorate March 10 as Harriet Tubman Remembrance Day in Maryland during the 15th annual Harriet Ross Tubman Day celebration in Annapolis, March 10.

This is fifth year midshipman have presented the official proclamation on behalf of the governor.

"This is an important part of history and I am honored and excited to have the opportunity to speak on the governor's behalf and help celebrate the life of Harriot Tubman," said Williams. "We live in an historical town and I feel that it's important to take advantage of all these opportunities that are at our doorstep."

The event, hosted by Barbara Robinson, the chair of the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland, featured a number of prominent Maryland political leaders including Louis Fields, president of the African American Tourism Council, Jeannie Haddaway-Riccio, Governor's Office Director of Intergovernmental Affairs, and representatives from voting districts in and around Annapolis.

"The Naval Academy has strong ties with our heritage communities throughout the State of Maryland, particularly in Annapolis," said Miriam Stanicic, USNA community relations director. "This is why, over the past several years, the community's program organizers have taken great pride in having a midshipman read the governor's proclamation every March 10th to honor Harriet Tubman Day in Maryland."

"We are so happy and pleased that our state, our leadership, our senators, our delegates, and our new governor, has embraced Harriot Tubman Day," said Fields. "We hope to continue this tradition for many years to come and continue to celebrate our history."

During the celebration, Dr. Ruth Pratt, a native of Baltimore, Maryland, was awarded the 2015 Harriet Ross Tubman Lifetime Achievement Award for endless passion and dedication to the community throughout her distinguished career as a Maryland educator.

"You are who you are today because your ancestors, grandparents, and parents did whatever it took to make your life better," said Pratt. "Harriet Tubman dedicated her life to doing everything she could to make the lives of the people she saved better, and that makes her a figure in history worth remembering."

Harriet Tubman, an African-American abolitionist, humanitarian, and Maryland native, played a critical role as a civil rights activist and Underground Railroad operator during the 19th and early 20th century. Over the course of her life, Tubman made an estimate of 19 trips along the eastern coast of the U.S. and into Canada, rescuing more than 300 people from slavery.


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