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Harriet Tubman's relative discusses her legacy in Western New York

The great-great-great-nephew of Harriet Tubman hopes a new film will prompt new discussions of her legacy.

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Kent Olden's ties to Buffalo run deep, and he's always been well-versed in his family's history. The story of his family's journey from enslavement in Maryland to the North is one Olden heard over and over as a child

"When February came around in school and we had to learn all the black history facts, I was the little kid in class correcting the teacher," Olden told 2 On Your Side's Karys Belger.

Olden frequently heard his family's stories from his grandmother, Arlene Robinson-Olden. One relative in particular always stood out. 

"Robert Ross, Harriet Tubman's brother, was my great-great-great-grandfather," he told 2 On Your Side.

Robert Ross was one of several siblings to Tubman. After initially escaping to Philadelphia on her own, Tubman returned to Maryland on one of her many expeditions to bring her family to freedom. 

She returned to bring back her brother, nieces, and others. When the Fugitive Slave Act was passed in 1850, Tubman and her family fled farther north to St. Catherine's, Ontario. Buffalo was the last stop before crossing the Canadian border.

"Eventually, her brother settled in Buffalo and changed his name to John Henry Stewart so that he could not be found," Olden said in an interview. 

Ross remarried and started a family. Those descendants make up Olden's familial line. 

"From Robert settling in Buffalo, he had a daughter named Gertrude, Gertrude had a son named Harold, Harold had a daughter named Arlene. Arlene had a son named Kent, and Kent is my father."

Since Ross settled in Buffalo, Olden's family has worked to educate the community about Harriet and her sibling's contributions. Olden's grandmother, Arlene, helped put the historical markers around the city where they are today. 

Credit: Kent Olden
Olden stands at the Freedom Wall at the corner of Michigan Avenue (Harriet Tubman Way) and East Ferry at the mural depicting his great aunt Harriet Tubman.

"She was a huge proponent of being able to tell you own stories because as soon as you stop you open the door for someone else to come and do it for you and that's not where you want to be."

It's a mentality Kent's family has taken to heart. His cousin, Tina Wyatt, helped provide context for the new film, "Harriet." It's giving audiences a fresh look at Tubman's life and more insight into her family's journey to Western New York 

A recent screening was Olden's first opportunity to see Ross and Tubman's story the way he'd always known it. 

"It's something that I've always known, but to see it actually play out kind of made my heart smile," Olden said.

Kent says as audiences prepare to see the film, he hopes they'll gain better insight into his ancestor. 

"She was a person, she was a human being, she was a woman, she was a fighter, She's more than just the mean-looking woman in the chair ready to go. So I'm actually very excited for everyone when they see the movie, they can see all the different facets of her personality," Olden told 2 On Your Side.

Olden also hopes the film will prompt people to research their own family stories. 

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