Ten women set out for Harriet’s Great Escape, a powerful journey along the Underground Railroad
GirlTrek, a nonprofit “dedicated to improving the health of Black women and girls,” followed in Harriet Tubman’s footsteps when 10 members walked the 100-mile trek she took to freedom along the Underground Railroad.
SUNY New Paltz alumna Onika Jervis ’93 (Biology) ’06g (Education Administration and Supervision) joined the founders and full-time employees of GirlTrek as they began their journey near the Eastern Shore of Maryland, where Harriet Tubman made her first escape. The team eventually crossed the Mason-Dixon Line into Delaware on March 10, Harriet Tubman Day, where a cheering crowd greeted them at the finish line.
“The journey took us five days, walking 20 miles a day,” said Jervis. “It was hard, we walked eight hours a day until sundown. Our feet hurt, our backs, our shoulders hurt, but we were encouraged to know that people were cheering us on, that folks were inspired by what we were doing.”
GirlTrek encourages women to use walking as a practical first step to inspire healthy living, families and communities. Since 2013, the 100th anniversary of Harriet Tubman’s passing, GirlTrek has recognized the abolitionist hero by mobilizing thousands of women from across the country to walk in her honor in the moving tribute known by the hasthtag #WeAreHarriet. This year, that the team honored her by retracing her steps along the Underground Railroad.
“I made sure my New Paltz crew, fellow alumni and sorority sisters, knew that I was going,” said Jervis. “The members of Girltrek all felt very proud holding up the legacy of Harriet Tubman, and we say if she walked herself to freedom there is no reason that black women can’t walk ourselves to being healthy.”
Due to the walk’s instantaneous success, GirlTrek has recently challenged women to walk 100 miles between now and May 10. On May 13, Mother’s Day, the group is releasing “Harriet’s Handbook,” which includes a self-guided year-long walking challenge.
“Our team represents a diverse group of women who are interested in investing in health and overall wellness,” said Jervis. “We fully believe that Harriet Tubman gave us a blueprint for freedom, she figured it out, she collected allies. Now, we are creating a footprint for women, and we encourage them that it all starts with a walk for 30 minutes a day.”
Jervis has been a consistent volunteer with the College for more than 20 years. She has served as an instrumental chair and organizer of the First World alumni-reunion steering committee on multiple occasions. An active donor focused on cultivating First World participation in the life of the College, Jervis is a member of the Alumni Advisory Council representing the SUNY New Paltz Alumni Association. Jervis, a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, was the alumni Heritage Award recipient in 2015 and had her alma mater in mind as she walked 100 miles in Tubman’s honor.
“I took the opportunity to proudly flaunt my New Paltz affiliation during this monumental walk,” said Jervis. “The Sojourner Truth Library and the strong Black Studies Department at the College help create resilient, community-minded alumni who are doing exceptional things. I hope that my walk can be an inspiration, a reminder to others showing that we all have something great within us just waiting to be unleashed.”
GirlTrek’s inspirational walk was featured on E!News, Cosmopolitan, and Now This. You can follow along on social media using the hashtag #HarrietsGreatEscape.
