AUBURN, N.Y. (Tribune News Service) — Karen Hill, president and CEO of the Harriet Tubman Home in Auburn, attended the event in 2023 when then-Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro announced a future ship would be named in honor of Tubman.

With the Department of Defense under President Donald Trump reportedly recommending the ship and others honoring civil rights leaders to be renamed, Hill is hoping they will keep the abolitionist’s name on the vessel.

During the Biden administration, the U.S. Navy unveiled plans to name John Lewis-class oilers in honor of Tubman and other American icons, including Robert F. Kennedy — the father of Trump’s secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — and Sojourner Truth. The oilers provide fuel for the Navy’s carrier strike groups.

Del Toro announced that a Navy oiler would bear Tubman’s name during a ceremony at the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park in Maryland. Tubman, he said, is “more than deserving” of the honor.

“(Tubman) was born into unimaginable circumstances, but she dedicated her life to facing great danger and adversity, becoming a ‘conductor of freedom,’ helping others escape slavery,” Del Toro said. “In addition, during the Civil War, Tubman was the first African American woman to serve formally in the military. Her legacy deserves our nation’s continued recognition, and our fleet benefits from having her name emblazoned on the hull of one of our great ships.”

Although Tubman is best known for escaping from slavery and her efforts along the Underground Railroad, she is also the first woman to lead a military operation in U.S. history. She led the Combahee River Raid in South Carolina that freed 756 enslaved people during the Civil War.

Tubman’s role in the raid is the subject of a book, “Combee,” that recently won a Pulitzer Prize. The book’s author, Dr. Edda Fields-Black, visited Auburn for the Tubman pilgrimage in May.

Hill recalled attending the ceremony in 2023 when Del Toro, who was the Navy secretary under former President Joe Biden, announced the naming of a ship in Tubman’s honor. She described it as an amazing event,” with people from all backgrounds in the audience.

“It represented the best of America,” Hill added.

While Hill acknowledged that the Trump administration has not made a final decision, she hopes they will keep Tubman’s name on the future ship. She cited the abolitionist’s role in the Combahee River Raid and the recognition of her military service. This year, she noted, Tubman was inducted into the U.S. Army Women’s Foundation Hall of Fame.

“When you look at the totality of her patriotic contributions to this country and her service in the military, it goes without saying that the ship, which is scheduled to be launched in the next couple of years, should remain the Harriet Tubman,” Hill said.

It is not the first time during the second Trump administration that Tubman’s name has been targeted for removal.

In April, the National Park Service removed a Tubman quote and photo from an Underground Railroad page on its website. The agency quickly reversed that action after public outrage.

Regarding the Trump administration’s treatment of Tubman’s legacy, Hill urged them to “tell the truth.”

“There’s a hymn, ‘May the Work I’ve Done Speak For Me,’” Hill said. “Tubman’s work certainly speaks for her.”

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