Harriet Tubman

Jean Marie Wiesen is an investigative author and researcher whose work is defined by meticulous primary source methodology, rigorous historical reconstruction, and a commitment to recovering what previous accounts have missed. Her most significant work, Harriet Tubman: Military Scout and Tenacious Visionary, represents years of deep archival research into military records, Civil War documentation, and first-hand historical sources — producing the most complete and accurate biography of Harriet Tubman ever written. Working alongside Rita Daniels, whose Tubman family background provided access to generations of oral history, Wiesen developed a research framework that uncovered the full scope of Tubman's role as a Union Army scout, spy, and military strategist; traced her ancestral roots to Ghana among the Ashanti people; and corrected long-standing historical omissions that had persisted for over a century. The book has drawn praise from The New York Times Book Review, Kirkus Reviews, Booklist, and members of the United States Senate. Wiesen attended Art Center College of Design in Southern California, majoring in Still Photography and minoring in Creative Writing. She further developed her craft under the mentorship of British author Robert Pollock. She is also the author of Case of the Missing Look Alikes and Case of the Mouse Trap Legend.Rita Daniels is the great-great-great-grandniece of Harriet Tubman and one of the primary stewards of her family's living oral history. Harriet Tubman: Military Scout and Tenacious Visionary is the first Tubman biography to draw on direct family memory since Harriet herself was interviewed in 1886. The stories Rita Daniels brings to this work — passed through generations of the Tubman family — illuminate Harriet Tubman in ways the archival record alone cannot. Her contribution gave this biography access to a category of historical truth unavailable to any other researcher. Rita Daniels is the President and Founder of the Harriet Tubman Learning Center (HTLC) in Powder Springs, Georgia, dedicated to the education of underserved children. She holds a Master's Degree in Education and a Bachelor's Degree in Human Resources (Cum Laude) from Trident University International.Queen Mother Dr. Delois Blakely is one of America's most distinguished community leaders, educators, and international advocates for youth empowerment, women's advancement, and social equity. Appointed Community Mayor of Harlem by former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and named Goodwill Ambassador to Africa in 2009, she brings to the foreword of this biography a perspective shaped by decades of frontline community leadership in the living tradition of Harriet Tubman. Dr. Blakely holds Master of Education degrees from Harvard University, Teachers College, and Columbia University, and a Doctorate of Education from Teachers College. She is a Fulbright Scholar, a Community Fellow at MIT, and an Education Policy Fellow with the International Education Leadership program.

“The retelling of Harriet Tubman’s life put forward by Jean Marie Wiesen and Rita Daniels blends the familiar story of an American hero with generations of oral history to create a vivid historical account. The question Daniels poses regarding her ancestor—what are we doing to continue Tubman’s legacy?—is one I think all Americans would do well to reflect upon. If you are looking for direction in how you should further Tubman’s lifework, this book is a good place to start.”