TBA
Harriet Tubman Freedom Day
Annual commemoration of Harriet's 1849 escape to freedom — December 6.
Details coming soon
501(c)(3) Nonprofit · Est. 2015Keep going.
Keep going.
Don't give up.
More than 150 years after Harriet Tubman led her people to freedom, too many of her descendants still can't read the road signs. HTLC walks alongside inner-city youth — through one-on-one tutoring, STEM labs, GED preparation and the unfiltered Black history our public schools are quietly erasing — so the next generation is free in every sense of the word.
(678) 761-0040· Marietta, Georgia
★ Literacy★ STEM★ Art★ GED Prep★ Black History★ Robotics★ Mentorship★ Youth Entrepreneurship
★ Literacy★ STEM★ Art★ GED Prep★ Black History★ Robotics★ Mentorship★ Youth Entrepreneurship
2/3
of 4th graders who can't read proficiently will drop out
10+
years serving underserved youth in the Atlanta area
100%
of donations fund tutoring, materials & mentorship
Est. 2015
Founded in the spirit of Harriet Tubman
Who We Are
Answering a call that started on the Underground Railroad.
The Harriet Tubman Learning Center, Inc. (HTLC) was founded in 2015 to attack a problem hiding in plain sight: more than one in five adults in the United States still struggles to read a prescription label, a lease, or a ballot. In the neighborhoods we serve, that number climbs higher — and it lands hardest on Black and brown children whose schools are under-resourced and whose history is being edited out of the curriculum.
Harriet Tubman herself died illiterate at 92 — a truth few know. HTLC exists so no child inherits that same silence. We meet each student where they are, build a personal learning plan, and surround them with mentors, materials and the cultural pride to keep going when the world tells them not to.
- One-on-one academic assessments. so every child gets a plan built for their strengths, not a one-size-fits-all worksheet.
- STEM labs, robotics & entrepreneurship. hands-on learning that turns curiosity into confidence, and confidence into careers.
- GED preparation and re-entry support. a real path back for teens and young adults who were pushed out of the classroom.
- Black history taught in full. from West Africa to Auburn, NY — the story schools are being pressured to skip.
Fuel a child's tutoring session today — every dollar goes to the classroom.
Donate NowWhat We Teach
Programs built to change trajectories.
Everything we offer flows from one belief: every child deserves the tools Harriet Tubman never got — and the truth of the history that shaped them.
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STEM & Robotics
Coding, circuits, engineering challenges and competitive robotics clubs — designed with industry mentors so students see themselves as future engineers, not just future users of technology.
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Art & Creative Studio
Visual art, digital design, music and storytelling woven into every STEM unit. Creativity is how our students find their voice — and how they translate hard math into something they're proud to show the world.
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Literacy & Tutoring
Structured phonics for early readers and one-on-one homework support for K–12. We diagnose the gap, close it with weekly sessions, and track growth so families see the progress in real time.
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GED Preparation
Launching in 2026 for teens and young adults who were pushed out of school. Full-subject prep, practice testing and coaching through registration — because a diploma should never be out of reach.
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Black History
The full arc — West African civilizations, the Middle Passage, Reconstruction, the Great Migration, the Civil Rights Movement, Afro-futurism — taught with primary sources as states quietly pull it from public curricula.
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Youth Entrepreneurship
Financial literacy, business fundamentals and pitch coaching. Students build real micro-ventures, learn to bank, budget and negotiate — turning creativity into generational wealth.
Meet Our Founder
Rita Daniels
Great-great-great grandniece of Harriet Tubman · President & Founder
Education
Master's Degree in Education (M.Ed.)Bachelor's in Human Resources (B.S.) — cum laudeTrident University International
Born in Auburn, New York — where Harriet Tubman lived the last 52 years of her life — Rita grew up walking the same streets her legendary aunt walked as a free woman, church member and community builder. She earned her Master's in Education and her B.S. in Human Resources cum laude from Trident University International, and spent decades in corporate leadership before answering what she calls "the family assignment."
In 2015, Rita and her mother, Geraldine Copes-Daniels, founded HTLC to carry Harriet's work forward — not as a monument to the past, but as a working classroom for the present. Today Rita speaks at Juneteenth commemorations, universities and congressional forums, reminding audiences that the Underground Railroad never really closed; it just changed shape. Every child HTLC serves is another passenger she refuses to lose.
"I was the conductor of the Underground Railroad for eight years, and I can say what most conductors can't say — I never ran my train off the track and I never lost a passenger."
National Congress of Black WomenJuneteenth SpeakerTubman Family Historian
In Her Own Words
Watch Rita Daniels
Interviews, appearances and moments from the movement.
Featured
Rita Daniels & Rev. Al Sharpton — Book Signing
Rita presents her book to Rev. Al Sharpton, who signs alongside her — a moment marking HTLC's mission on the national stage.
Support This MissionOn Air
News Interview — Carrying The Legacy Forward
Rita's on-air interview about HTLC, the erasure of Black history, and why this work matters now more than ever for underserved youth.
Support This MissionMother · Co-Founder · Elder
Geraldine Copes-Daniels
Rita's mother, Pauline Copes-Johnson's sister — sisters in the movement carrying Harriet's work forward.
Long before HTLC opened its doors, Geraldine Copes-Daniels was already doing the work. Alongside her sister Pauline Copes-Johnson, she spent decades traveling the country as a Tubman family historian — speaking in classrooms, libraries, universities and community centers about the true story of her great-great grandaunt, Harriet Tubman. Where curricula fell short, Geraldine and Pauline showed up in person.
When Rita left corporate America to answer the family assignment, it was her mother who stood beside her to co-found the Harriet Tubman Learning Center in 2015. Geraldine's lifetime of grassroots preservation — the book signings, the FAA and community speaking engagements, the sisterhood pictured here — is the foundation HTLC is built on. Every tutoring session and every history lesson at HTLC carries her fingerprints.
"Harriet's story doesn't belong in a museum. It belongs in the hands of the children who need to know they come from someone who never quit."
Carry the legacy forward. Sponsor a student this month.
Donate NowOn The Calendar
Get notified →Upcoming Events
Dates for our next community gatherings will land here. Check back soon — or call us to be added to the list.
TBA
STEM Saturday Showcase
Students present robotics, art and entrepreneurship projects to family and community.
Details coming soon
TBA
GED Prep Cohort — Info Night
Kick-off for our 2026 GED tutoring cohort. Open to teens and adult learners.
Details coming soon
Moments From The Center
Photo Gallery
A living archive of Rita Daniels, our students, families and community events. More photos will be added as we upload them.
From the Founder
Military Scout and Tenacious Visionary
Harriet Tubman — From Her Roots in Ghana to Her Legacy on the Eastern Shore
By Jean Marie Wiesen and Rita Daniels, great-great-great-grandniece of Harriet Tubman. Foreword by Queen Mother Dr. Delois Blakely. The definitive family portrait of Harriet Tubman — the roots, the military scout, and the tenacious visionary whose work HTLC carries forward today.
Stay Connected
Be the first to know about upcoming events.
Freedom Day, book signings, Saturday showcases, and community fundraisers — leave your email or phone number and we'll reach out with dates, locations and ways to get involved.
Support The Mission
Your gift is an excellent investment in the future.
Every dollar funds tutoring, STEM materials, GED prep and Black history programming for inner-city youth who need it most. Your sponsorships and donations are fully tax deductible.
Donate Now
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