Corps of Engineers brings actress to highlight rugged American history

The crack of a whip, anguished cries, spiritual songs with double meanings, courage in the face of death -- all performed by an acclaimed actress to remind people what slaves ran from as they escaped to freedom through the Underground Railroad in the 1850s.

On Feb. 6, Gwendolyn Briley-Strand brought her one woman show "Harriet Tubman: The Chosen One" to the Defense Distribution Center, Susquehanna, as part of the Black History Month celebration. Hosted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore District, Equal Employment Opportunity, this was the 23rd year that the show has been performed at schools, community organizations, military installations and at the White House.

"It's not just Black history, it's American history," noted Mike Hoffman, EEO manager. The presentation at this Defense Logistics Agency installation in New Cumberland, Pa., supported our Harrisburg Area Office on the base and is part of the District's effort to take special emphasis programs to the field sites.

The 45-minute performance told the life of Maryland-native Harriett Tubman, given the code name Moses, who made her way out of slavery and then risked her freedom to free others. Briley-Strand depicted multiple characters in the show complete with costuming and props. In this dramatic presentation, the actress used her voice, body, facial expressions, dialogue and diction, movement, and the imagination of the audience to "experience" the life and dangers of being a runaway slave in the 1850s during the performance.

In the question and answer session following the performance, Briley-Strand noted that songs sung in the fields by slaves often had a double meaning. "The hymns were a way to commune with God," she said, "but they also communicated messages. 'Let us break bread together' was sung to tell them to run away tonight; 'Wade in the Water' was the way to go."

Briley-Strand's biography notes her 20 years of experience in stage, television and movies including "Law and Order," "The West Wing," "Contact," and "Mars Attacks," to name a few.