Harriet Tubman as a Master Strategist in Conflict, Leadership, and Liberation
Every February, we are told to celebrate Black History Month. And while I understand the intention, the name itself has never sat quite right with me. So I call this month American History Made by Black People Month.
Why? Because Black history is not separate from American history. It is American history. It is woven into the foundation, the contradictions, the growth, and the ongoing conflict of this country. To suggest otherwise subtly reinforces the very division we claim we want to heal.
And healing requires truth.
This month, I choose to honor American history by lifting up Black brilliance, not just survival, but strategy. Not just resilience, but leadership. Not just resistance, but conflict resolution in its highest form.
Which brings me to my Girrlll, Harriet Tubman.
Too often, Harriet Tubman is reduced to a single story: a courageous woman who helped enslaved people escape through the Underground Railroad. That story is true, but incomplete. Harriet Tubman was not just brave. She was a brilliant strategist, a master communicator, and an extraordinary leader in the midst of constant, life-threatening conflict.
And if we are honest, she is one of the most powerful role models we have for resolving conflict under pressure.
Harriet Tubman operated in environments where the stakes were absolute. There were no HR departments. No mediators. No safety nets. Every decision carried the weight of life or death, not only for herself, but for everyone she led.
So how did she do it?
First, she understood the real nature of conflict. Conflict is rarely just about what is happening on the surface. It is about fear, power, trust, and survival. Harriet knew that panic, hesitation, or divided loyalty could put everyone at risk. That’s why she was clear, direct, and unwavering in her leadership. Clarity is kindness when confusion is dangerous.
Second, she mastered trust before movement. Harriet did not rush people into action without preparing them mentally and emotionally. She understood that people leaving bondage were not just escaping a system, they were confronting internal conflict: fear of the unknown, fear of punishment, fear of freedom itself. She didn’t shame that fear. She anticipated it.
That is conflict resolution at its core, acknowledging fear without allowing it to control the outcome.
Third, Harriet Tubman understood timing. She moved at night. She adjusted routes. She changed plans when conditions shifted. This is a lesson many leaders miss today. Resolving conflict is not about forcing resolution on your timeline. It’s about reading the room, the moment, and the people involved, and choosing the most strategic path forward.
Now, let’s talk about her communication style.
Harriet Tubman did not negotiate with oppression, but she also did not lead with chaos. She was firm. Focused. Purpose-driven. When someone wanted to turn back and endanger the group, she set boundaries. That wasn’t cruelty, no ya’ll, that was bold leadership. Not every conflict is resolved by compromise. Some are resolved by protecting the mission.
That’s a hard truth for people-pleasers and conflict-avoiders, and it’s one I teach often:
Peace is not the absence of tension; it is the presence of direction.
Harriet Tubman embodied that.
So when I honor her during American History Made by Black People Month, I am not just honoring the past. I am calling us into a deeper understanding of leadership today.
What would change if we stopped sanitizing history and started studying it for skill?
What if we taught Harriet Tubman not only in history class, but in leadership programs, conflict resolution training, and boardrooms?
Because the truth is, she didn’t just move people out of bondage. She moved them through fear, uncertainty, and resistance, both internal and external.
That is conflict resolution.
That is strategy.
That is American history made by Black Folks.
And it deserves to be named, claimed, and learned from fully.
We can all learn a lot from her. I do, every day.
In Love,
Dr. Lynne
