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The Legacy of Harriet Tubman: A One-Woman Performance

Presented by Actress Cortenia Smith

Step into the remarkable life of Harriet Tubman with this one-woman show. Known for leading enslaved people to freedom via the Underground Railroad, Tubman’s legacy also includes her work as a spy during the Civil War and a suffragist, tireless in her advocacy for justice and equality. This performance brings to life her strength, determination, and commitment to freedom.

Cortenia Smith, Actress

Born and raised in China Grove, North Carolina, Cortenia Smith has called Maryland home since 1968. She fell in love with the stage at an early age and studied acting between 1985 and 1987 at The Center of Expression in the Arts in Washington, D.C. Her acting coaches and mentors nurtured her God-given talent, allowing her to continue pursuing her passion to this day. Cortenia is well-known throughout the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area for her one-woman production portraying Harriet Tubman. Since 2012, she has dedicated herself to studying and performing The Life of Harriet Tubman in schools, libraries, social events, and churches, keeping both her dream and Harriet’s legacy alive.

Cortenia’s stage performances include Abby’s Choice: A Mother’s Tale (2017) and Treachery, Lies & Deception (2022). She appeared in a Comcast Spotlight commercial for Adventist Healthcare Medical Center in White Oak, Maryland (2019). Her Netflix credits include House of Cards (2017), Messiah (2019), and Rustin (2022). In film, she featured in the short indie The Nudge (2017) and movies such as Charm City Kings (2019), ZEKE: The Awakening (2020), and My Private Line to God (Lojai Productions, 2024) as a background extra. She portrayed a detective in For My Man (Season 4, Episode 13 – The Keshia Pugh Story, 2018) and is part of the Zion_TV Pilot (in production for 2023-2024). Additionally, she appeared as a sharecropper in the PBS documentary Alpha Kappa Alpha on The History Channel (2022).

Cortenia has participated in project training films and student short films, showcasing her versatility and dedication. In 2024, she voices Nurse Felicity Brooks in the drama podcast series Where Loyalties…Lie, with seven episodes available on Spotify, Amazon Music, Audible, and YouTube.