It's the Brian Layer Show on WNYC. Good morning again everyone. And now we'll celebrate this

Juneteenth, 159 years after 250,000 or so enslaved black people in Texas were freed from Confederate control and

bondage by their owners in honor of this day let's revisit the history of one of

America's most famous anti-slavery figures, Harriet Tubman with a very special guest.

You probably know of Harriet Tubman as somewhat of a superhero, you know, a woman who possessed

great bravery, righteousness, and strength as she escaped slavery herself

and proceeded to personally rescue 70 slaves over the course of 19 trips back to her home state of Maryland. But maybe this book suggests our tendency

to mythologize Harriet Tubman has the unintended consequence of diminishing her achievements

or the context of her life.

In her latest book, Night Flyer, Harriet Tubman, and the Faith Dreams of a Free People, American historian

Tyra Miles from Harvard offers a new perspective into the life of

Tubman. We learn about different names she went by throughout her life and the significance

of those different identities. We meet her as a woman of God

and come to understand how her faith was informed

by her connection to nature and experience of the world

as a disabled person, too.

So let's meet Harriet Tubman again. Joining me now is Tyra Miles, professor of history at Harvard University. Professor Miles may be best known for her 2021 bestseller all that she carried the journey

of Ashley's sack a black family keepsake book that won the National Book Award for non-fiction.

Professor Miles, we're honored that you're spending a little of your

Juneteenth with us.

Welcome back to WNYC.

Thank you so much.

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