Harriet Parent Guide

There are a few people whose lives are so inspiring, whose courage is so remarkable, whose altruism is so extraordinary, that it is almost impossible to describe them. I am rarely at a loss for words but watching Harriet left me almost speechless, blinking back tears, and humbled by this glimpse into the life of a woman who is not only an inspiration to Americans, but to every person who believes in the inalienable human rights of liberty and dignity.

Harriet opens in 1849 in Maryland, with an enslaved 27 year old woman named Araminta “Minty” Ross (Cynthia Erivo) demanding her freedom. The will of her mother’s owner freed her and her children upon his death, but the current owner refuses to abide by it. Married to a free black man (Zackary Momoh), Minty cannot bear to bring children into a life of bondage. With her incensed owner (Joe Alwyn) threatening to sell her down the river, like her sisters before her, Minty decides to run for freedom. Her flight is all the more dangerous because she travels alone. Afraid her husband will be enslaved if he’s caught aiding her escape, Minty runs solo to Philadelphia, fleeing dogs, armed men, and fast-flowing rivers. Free in Pennsylvania, Minty chooses a new name: Harriet Tubman.

Harriet’s solo journey would have been a notable distinction for any woman. But it’s what she does next that makes her so unusual: she returns to lead her family, friends, and total strangers to freedom, over and over and over again. Named “Moses” by those who retell stories of her exploits, Harriet becomes a conductor on the Underground Railroad and then a spy for the Union Army in the Civil War.

Most of us watch people like Harriet Tubman with a sense of wonder, marveling at their selfless bravery. Why, we ask, do they do it? For Harriet, the answer is straightforward: love. Harriet loves her family and can’t enjoy her freedom in the shadow of their suffering. And she also loves God, who gives her visions and warnings, and in whom she has an unshakable faith.

With a main character who embodies love, selflessness, sacrifice, courage, faith, and unswerving duty, Harriet abounds with positive messages. Themes of racial equality and human dignity underpin the entire production. And while racism and slavery are emphatically condemned, Harriet acknowledges that good and evil aren’t the prerogative of any race: some white Americans work towards the abolition of slavery and two African Americans are shown helping slaveowners hunt down escaping men and women.

Slavery is a form of institutionalized violence, so it is not surprising that this film comes with some violent content, albeit highly sanitized. The most sickening episodes are referred to in conversation but there are numerous scenes of desperate souls being chased through the countryside by men with dogs and guns. There is also some bad language, principally multiple uses of a racial slur for African Americans, and a single use of the sexual expletive. These issues might trouble some viewers, but it would be impossible to make a historically accurate film about Harriet Tubman without violence, fear, and peril. That she not only survived, but endured with grace, dignity, and compassion, is a tribute to the highest qualities of the human spirit. And that’s something we all want our teenagers to see.