‘The Harriet Tubman Experience’ set for Feb. 15 at Ocean City Free Public Library
OCEAN CITY — When Crystal Hines brings Harriet Tubman to life on Feb. 15, courtesy of the Ocean City Historical Museum, expect an interactive experience.
She is a Cape May County native who has earned rave reviews for the tours she gives at the Cape May museum dedicated to the Underground Railroad conductor.
Hines, a native of Wildwood who now live in the Villas section of Lower Township, is a teacher in the Middle Township School system. One of her passions is leaving an impact on those she has impressed with her knowledge of Harriet Tubman.
In reviews left about the Harriet Tubman Museum, many singled out Hines.
“The tour of the museum was handled by an amazing storyteller, Crystal.”
“Crystal, the tour guide, is incredible. She made Harriet Tubman come alive. Her tour was interactive and so informative.”
“Crystal is a great tour guide. Her theatrical performances were great. She made it so interesting and fun. This was such a great highlight of our trip visiting the museum.”
“Our guide, Crystal, possessed extensive knowledge and enthusiasm for Harriet Tubman and for U.S. history of that period. She involved participants of all ages, making it an interactive experience.”
“What an amazing time my daughter and I had visiting this museum. Crystal who led us through the tour with another dozen people, was delightful. I don’t think any of us will forget the story of Harriet Tubman ever.”
“Our tour guide Crystal was amazing.”
But let’s hear from Crystal Hines herself.
“Well, I would say I’m very dramatic,” she said, laughing.
Before she began “The Harriet Tubman Experience” presentations on the road, she started at the museum on Lafayette Street giving tours, which she still does on Saturdays.
Over time, she said, the history of Tubman became “embedded” in her.
“I’m able to bring it to life and really dramatize it in a way that makes it palatable because some of the things are very devastating that (Tubman) has gone through,” she said. “I think it it takes an artistic style and a creative approach.”
Hines said the story she presents is the journey Harriet Tubman took from being enslaved and having to endure all of the pain that came with it, having generations of her family enslaved and then becoming “literally like a superhero for them all who were able to go with her.
“For me, it’s an incredible journey, for the fact that I’m able to then tell her story and live that journey out with her; it’s really cool,” she said.
“I really want (audiences) to understand the legacy of Harriet Tubman, the work that she’s done and the trails that she had to take herself. I want them to kind of envision her mindset in the space that she was in … and then maybe not all that she had to endure, but some of the things that may have like stopped her in the tracks, but she continued to persevere.”
Hines also uses a kinesthetic approach, which involves moving and using her body, and auditory cues to make sure that what she says is not just spoken and heard. She wants her audiences to feel and be part of what Tubman survived in her life, how she helped so many slaves escape to freedom, how she avoided capture and more.
As an example, she cited a performance in an intimate setting with 12 women in a home where she walked them through her journey tangibly.
While it was all acting, she would go to a person and pretend to remove her dress so they could burn it. That was so the tracking dogs that chased her could not get her scent.
“That’s how I just keep going into the spaces and then they understand, through this, what she had to do. I kind of live as if I am her and then I tell the story as I’m talking about her, but I am her. So I’m presenting as her.”
While recounting a trip on the Underground Railroad, she would tell a guest about their character and to understand their role. Then she would knock on the door to find out if they would allow her to come in — or not.
“I tell them the story as Minty would,” she said.
Araminta “Minty” Ross was born into slavery in Maryland in 1822. After she married John Tubman, a free black man, she adopted the named Harriet Tubman and escaped to freedom in 1849, according to the Maryland State Archives. Between 1850 and 1860 she made at least 13 trips on the Underground Railroad and guided as many as 70 enslaved people to freedom.
“The Harriet Tubman Experience” is at 1 p.m. Feb. 15 in the Chris Maloney Lecture Hall at the Ocean City Free Public Library in the Ocean City Community Center at 1735 Simpson Ave. There will be be live music and light refreshments after the performance at the Ocean City Historical Museum in the Community Center. Admission and parking are free.
Learn more about the Harriet Tubman Museum, 637 Lafayette St. in Cape May, at harriettubmanmuseum.org.
By DAVID NAHAN/Cape May Star and Wave