Moment in Black History: DC wax museum adds Harriet Tubman to collection

Harriet Tubman has always been one of my favorite people in history. There were four women that I wanted to play every year in our Black History Program at school: Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, Mary McLeod Bethune and Mahalia Jackson. And yes, I said school not church. I admired their strength and tenacity and power. It was great that members of her family could be present at the unveiling.

Tubman's great-great-great-grand-nephew, Charles E.T. Ross, and Tubman's great-great-grand-niece, Valery Ross Manokey, were present at the Washington wax museum Tuesday to see the statue join a collection of historical figures.

The museum says it added the Tubman likeness in honor of Black History Month. It already has wax figures of Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, and others.

Tubman was born into slavery on Maryland's Eastern Shore. After escaping in 1849, the abolitionist led countless slaves from the South to freedom along the Underground Railroad.

Artists from Madame Tussauds spend months creating each new lifelike figure, relying on photographs, historical accounts and paintings.

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