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  • Georgia actress, singer and playwright Joanna Maddox portrays Harriet Tubman during a one-woman performance chronicling the civil rights icon's life Thursday at Bethany Lutheran College. Pat Christman

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January 19, 2012

Georgia storyteller brings Harriet Tubman to life at Bethany

By Amanda Dyslin The Free Press

MANKATO — Walking mostly at night, and guided by the North Star and the river, Harriet Tubman made her way from slavery in Maryland to freedom in Pennsylvania.

It was on this journey in 1849, by way of the Underground Railroad, that she experienced kindness: her first sleep in an actual bed, hot meals and even her first fancy dress, courtesy of the railroad’s “conductors.” This kindness, coupled with the overwhelming joy of reaching the sign that she was told meant she was finally free -- the one signifying the Pennsylvania state line -- ignited in her the courage and drive to help other slaves to freedom.

So almost immediately after making it to Pennsylvania, “I turned right around,” said Georgia actress, singer, storyteller and playwright Joanna Maddox. “And I became a conductor on the Underground Railroad,” making more than a dozen dangerous trips back to the South, resulting in the rescue of about 300 slaves.

Maddox brought this story to life Thursday night at Bethany Lutheran College through a one-woman show that combined acting and song. Focusing on Tubman’s birth into slavery through her courageous journey to freedom in her 20s, Maddox did what textbooks can’t: put a voice and a face and a heart to a historical figure, making her story emotional and accessible for students.

That was part of Tom Flunker’s reasons for bringing Maddox to campus. As multi-ethnic coordinator on campus, he wanted to present to students a different kind of theater experience and a different perspective on history.

“Especially on our campus, (students) may not have that historical background,” Flunker said.

“Some students come from smaller, rural areas where certain aspects of history may not be as predominate.”

During the Q&A session following the performance, Maddox said she studied theater at the University and Georgia and worked as a professional actress. She discovered her love of storytelling after having three sons and volunteering to read stories to their class. Children would stop her in the halls and say, “I know you. You’re the storyteller.” And she decided she liked how that sounded.

Maddox began by researching and writing about Tubman, and she went on to research and write character skits for other black, female historical figures, including Rosa Parks, Marian Anderson and a humorous “Divas” performance featuring Tina Turner, Diana Ross and Whitney Houston.

“These women I portray were not in my history books,” Maddox said, adding that Tubman is her favorite because she came first. “She is my personal hero. Her bravery astounds me.”

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