Miami native and historian, Edda L. Fields-Black, has won a Pulitzer Prize for her book “Combee: Harriet Tubman, the Combahee River Raid, and Black Freedom During the Civil War.” The work uses firsthand accounts to detail how Tubman led one of the largest slave revolts in history. As a descendant of one of the participants of the raid and as the daughter of a formidable historian, Fields-Black connects to her work in a unique and powerful way.
According to Black Enterprise, Fields-Black “spent 10 years researching and writing the book” and found a majority of her content from pensions files. Fields-Black got her researching skills from her mother, Dr. Dorothy Jenkins Fields, founder of the Black Archives of South Florida and a preservationist of the Lyric Theatre. Being involved with her mother’s work at a young-age piqued her interest and her love for storytelling.
In a press release from Carnegie Mellon, Fields-Black states that she is “humbled to bring the untold stories and unheard voices of formerly enslaved people to life.” While Black history, books, and culture are under attack, having Fields-Blacks’ work highlighted feels critical, not only for the stories that she has brought to life, but, for the people she will inspire to do the same.
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