On Monday, October 16, 2017, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., Odell Public Library, 307 S. Madison Street, Morrison, IL, will present “Harriet Tubman: The New Face on the 20- Dollar Bill.” Storyteller and living history actor Marlene Rivero will bring Harriet Tubman to life. Tubman, nicknamed “Moses” because of the people she led to freedom, will recall important events.
After escaping from slavery herself, Harriet Tubman helped numerous enslaved people escape to freedom through the Underground Railroad. She assisted John Brown in recruiting abolitionists for the raid on Harpers Ferry; led a Union Army raid in South Carolina that liberated hundreds of slaves during the Civil War; advocated for women’s suffrage after the war.
Her extraordinary achievements have received renewed attention. Her image has been selected to replace President Andrew Jackson’s on the 20-dollar bill.
A question and answer session will follow. This free program is made possible by a grant from Illinois Humanities’ Road Scholars Speakers Bureau. That program provides organizations with affordable, entertaining, and thought-provoking humanities events for their communities.
Rivero, born on the family farm in Grand Chain deep in Southern Illinois, received her BS from the School of Forestry at Southern Illinois University. She worked for the U. S. Forest Service until her retirement in 2011 . She first portrayed Harriet Tubman at a Forest Service talent show and received a standing ovation. A friend encouraged her to branch out. Rivero now does portrayals of Tubman and other historical figures on a full-time basis. She has been featured in Illinois and surrounding states for a number of years.
This program is part of the fall lifelong learning series sponsored by Odell Public Library and the Odell Public Library Friends. It is free and open to the public. Please mark your calendars for Monday, October 16, at 6:30 p.m., at Odell Public Library in Morrison.
For more information, visit the Odell Public Library Facebook page or call 815-772-7323. To help the library staff set up for the event, reservations are strongly encouraged but are not required.
Illinois Humanities is an independent, nonprofit affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, dedicated to fostering a culture in which the humanities are a vital part of the lives of individuals and communities. Illinois Humanities creates programs and funds organizations that promote greater understanding of, appreciation for, and involvement in the humanities by all Illinoisans, regardless of their economic resources, cultural background, or geographic location. The organization is supported by State, Federal, and private funds.