Catherine Harris of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library visited Zion Lutheran School in Lincoln on Friday to give her stellar portrayal of Harriet Tubman to the school. Tubman, who ran away to freedom in the North, helped over 300 other slaves to freedom for more than a decade via the Underground Railroad  before the American Civil War. During the war she served as a scout, spy and nurse for the United States Army. In later years she continued to work for the rights of African-Americans and women. When Harris was finished with her portrayal and asked the children if they had any questions, almost all the students raised their hands. Harris has been visiting schools for eight years to bring to life one of our country's early heroines of civil rights.

Pictures by Mike Fak and Steve Schumacher

Students and faculty gather for the presentation.

Harris stands with Danielle Burgrabe, who is holding a sculpture she created for a fourth-grade reading assignment.

Harris as Tubman had the students' attention from her first sentence.

The school listens intently to Tubman's explanation of her life as a slave and as a free woman.

Harris was convincing as she

used accent, speech and mannerisms to portray Tubman.

A picture of the civil rights leader in later years.

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