(RNS) — “God don’t mean people to own people.”
That simple statement, uttered by Cynthia Erivo in the title role of “Harriet,” a new movie about Harriet Tubman, reveals a truth long known by scholars of the woman dubbed “Moses.”
Tubman’s lived religion has been well recorded and used to explain how in 1849 a Maryland 20-something slave (her exact birthdate is not known) set out for the North to freedom, then over the next 10 years helped dozens of others gain liberty from enslavement. She embraced faith instead of fear, said Kate Clifford Larson, a historical consultant for the movie.
“It gave her confidence to do the things that she did,” said Larson.
“She felt so guided and protected by her God, her faith, her everything spiritual that that’s what enabled her to act even when she was afraid, even when the obstacles seemed insurmountable. Her faith gave her that strength to keep moving even though she was afraid.”
“Harriet,” which opens Friday (Nov. 1), details how her heroism was wedded to her lifelong religious beliefs.
“When the movie opens, we’re in church,” said Vanessa Bell Calloway, who portrayed Rit Ross, Tubman’s mother, in the film. “When we are introducing Harriet, she is a spiritual person because that’s the way she was raised.”
The character of Tubman’s faith is not entirely clear. At the…
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