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And Then
(Spoken Word)

At the beginning it seemed impossible,
but she stayed on the Lord’s Path.

First, Harriet Tubman had to free herself.

And then, she had to understand the Underground Railroad, and the most effective way to get folks free.

And then, she had to find the courageous slaves who wanted to be free, and were willing to risk it all for that precious freedom.

And then, she had to get them free, and to safety, sometimes as far north as Canada, at great risk to her life and liberty.

'Dead niggers tell no tales.

You’ll go or die.'

She was known to say from the controlling end of a gun, when appropriate.

And then, she had to connect the free men with their new community.

“De Lord has been with me in 6 troubles. He would not desert us now in the seventh.”

And then, she had to return many times to do speaking engagements, meetings, fundraisers and free more slaves.

And then, she assisted the great thinkers of her time to come up with the Emancipation Proclamation, though she could not read or write.

“Go Forward,
Go Forward,
Go Forward.

Which way is forward?

Forward's in
the direction
of the Lord"

And then, Governor Andres of Massachusetts at the beginning of the war, sent Moses to the south to act as a spy and scout for the Union armies, employed as a hospital nurse when needed.

And then, for four years she labored without enumeration. She was known as a miraculous healer.

During the time she was acting as a nurse, she never drew but twenty days ration from the government.

And then, General Saxon said that for the Union Army she

"made many a raid inside the enemy lines, displaying remarkable courage, zeal, and fidelity."

And then, she created a senior citizens home in Auburn, New York for free men, that still stands in her honor.

And then,
all appeals for
military benefits
and pensions
were denied.

It still ain’t been rectified.

Taint Fittin, Just Taint Fittin what America did to her.

“Go Forward,
Go Forward,
Go Forward.

Which way is forward?

Forward's in
the direction
of the Lord"

(drums)

Yet one more thing.

And then, she lived to be a fulfilled, beautiful, at peace with the Lord and herself 98 years old.

She passed with the grace that comes from knowing the Lord in life, and following His Will even beyond death.

I can still feel her. Can you?

And now…….what do you think?

“Go Forward,
Go Forward,
Go Forward.

Which way is forward?

Forward's in
the direction
of the Lord"

(drums)

From Moses - A Movement to Freedom -
By Computer Underground Railroad Ent.

Lead Cast : Harriet (age 13), Harriet (older 20 years and up), Sarah (writer, narrator). Below are two small segments from the play in development.

Act 1 Scene 17 - United States Court

Thomas Garrett

Sarah

“There was an incident
in the life of the good man,
Thomas Garrett.”

Judge

"You have been tried twice
for assisting in the escape of fugitive slaves...."

"You are to be fined heavily
and removed of some of your holdings..."

"Garrett, let this be a lesson to you,
not to interfere hereafter with the cause of justice,
by helping runaway slaves..."

(Old Man Garrett stands slowly and prayerfully,
centering himself to receive his sentence.

He raises his head, fixing his eyes on 'the court.)

Garrett*

"Judge --
thee has left me without a dollar,
but I wish to say to thee,
and to all in this courtroom,
that if anyone knows of a fugitive
who wants a shelter, and a friend,
send him to Thomas Garrett,
and he will befriend him."

*For More Information on the Underground Railroad’s Thomas Garrett:

http://www.piaf.com/genealogy/tg1789.html

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USASunderground.htm

Act 1, Scene 16 - Train Car

THE STORY OF
THE LIBERATION OF JOE

The freedom point
on Moses' train to Canada
was the middle of the bridge

(All in the group are looking at Niagara Falls
as the train passes over the center of the bridge.

All but poor Joe,
who was traveling with the fear of
a $2,000 bounty on his head.)

Harriet

(Running over to Joe and shaking him)

"Joe, you shook de Lion's paw!"

(She shook him again)

Joe, you're in Queen Victoria's dominions!

YOU'RE A FREE MAN!

(Joe rose, his head went up, he raised his hands on high;
and...his eyes, streaming with tears, looking to heaven.

Then he began to sing and shout.)

Joe

Glory to God and Jesus too - one more soul got safe!

Oh, go and carry the news, one more soul got safe!

Group

Joe, come and look at the falls!

Joe

Glory to God and Jesus too - one more soul got safe!.

Group

Joe! It's your last chance, come and see the falls!

Joe

Glory to God and Jesus too - one more soul got safe!

Sarah

The train stopped on the other side;
and the first feet to touch British soil,
after those of the conductor,
were those of formerly poor Joe.

Joe

Thank de Lord!
Dere's only one more journey for me now,
and dat's to hebben!

Harriet Tubman: The Moses of Her People, by Sarah Bradford was originally published in 1886. It is a classic biography of one of America's most important women. She was more successful than any other person of her time in liberating Americans from slavery. Sarah Bradford's profits went to Harriet Tubman who in turn, housed and cared for indigents until her death.

The Computer Underground Railroad was blessed to have trained over 3,000 folks in Harlem, NY between 1994-1998. Part of that fabulous group of folks were wonderful children from the Harriet Tubman Shelter.

At the end of class, one of the children's caretakers gave the railroad a gift, a copy of the book, HARRIET TUBMAN, THE MOSES OF HER PEOPLE, by Sarah Bradford.

As I flew through the pages, savagely underlining words that were hitting me like hammers, I knew this is a story for our times. It gave me the strength I needed to continue the training even when there was no money, food or hope left. The benefits of the struggle is more than worth the short term traumas. As a result of learning how to press the cyber freedom keys folks were going back to school, getting jobs, starting businesses, building international friendships on the web and reconnecting with family and friends.

I am grateful for the lessons and Moses - A Movement To Freedom is a way to pass the wisdom on.

The same way Tubman knew when it was time to carry passengers all the way to Canada, I learned it was time to bring the training all the way onto the web. You can find my training notes at www.compurest.com - click on Free MS Training.

Harriet Tubman never received veterans recognition, which is an issue I'd like to use this work to resolve.

This is a project in the seed stage of development as part of the overall Computer Underground Railroad Enterprises (C.U.R.E.). Though C.U.R.E. formally became a New York State Corporation in the mid 1990's, it's an idea that has been in development since 1977.

This project already has decades of sweat equity, ready for the next step. As the piece progresses we will continue to building our strong, talented, creative team. It is self financed, looking for backers.

The play was written by 1960's Keep America Beautiful commercial producer/photographer Bernard Hirschenson and me, J. Nayer Hardin. Music Director Sherwood Akuna brings a background of rap, hip hop, jazz, reggae and other original musical forms to the project's rap opera. Original music is being developed for the piece, with auditioned pieces considered. Marketing Guru Neil London, music executive Lisa Nelson, performing and writing artist Carolyn Bronson and rapper Iro Lewis round out the founding crew.

Moses - A Movement To Freedom is designed to be versatile, i.e. rap/hip hop opera where the story is told in the dynamics of the language of today's music,

The story lends itself to a jazz jam session or a piece in a spoken word concert. African drums take center stage in this modern music piece. We are limited only by our imaginations.

If this is a project that you would like to participate in, e-mail me, J. Nayer Hardin, at [email protected]. Put Tubman in the subject line.