Edda Fields-Black has earned one of the highest honors in literature for her remarkable work on Black history. The historian won a 2025 Pulitzer Prize in History for her book COMBEE: Harriet Tubman, the Combahee River Raid, and Black Freedom during the Civil War. This book sheds light on one of the largest freedom missions in U.S. history, led by the fearless Harriet Tubman.
The award was officially announced on May 5, with Fields-Black’s work honored alongside Native Nations: A Millennium in North America by Kathleen DuVal. Both were recognized as “distinguished and appropriately documented books on the history of the United States.”
A Powerful Tribute to Black Freedom and Harriet Tubman’s Courage
Fields-Black’s book tells the story of the 1863 Combahee River Raid. During this daring mission, Harriet Tubman led Union troops to free over 700 enslaved people from rice plantations in South Carolina. Fields-Black called it the largest “slave rebellion in U.S. history.”
The historian spent 10 years carefully researching this event. She used rare records, like Civil War pension files, to track the names and lives of those who took part. “It is extremely rare to hear an enslaved person’s voice, and almost unheard of to hear them describe how they felt in their own words,” Fields-Black shared.
Rare Firsthand Stories Brought to Life
Her interest in the raid grew after she came across a story from Linus Hamilton, an 88-year-old man who lived through it. His powerful account inspired her to uncover more about the people Harriet Tubman helped liberate. “In reading the literature about the raid, I began to connect it to Linus Hamilton. It had not been connected before,” she explained.
By using firsthand records, Fields-Black was able to piece together stories of dozens of people whose names had long been forgotten. These accounts gave a voice to the enslaved men and women Tubman rescued that night along the Combahee River.
A Monumental Win for Black Women Historians
Fields-Black’s Pulitzer Prize win is not just personal — it’s historic. She is one of only two Black women to win the Pulitzer Prize in History, joining the trailblazing Annette Gordon-Reed. The Miami native spoke to the Miami Herald about how meaningful this moment is, especially for Black historians.
“It’s a form of validation that these stories are important and must be told,” she said. Fields-Black added that the recognition shows how vital it is to preserve and uplift Black history, especially in times when such stories face erasure.
Family Legacy and Community Impact
Edda Fields-Black comes from a family deeply committed to preserving Black history. Her mother, Dr. Dorothy Jenkins Fields, founded the Miami Black Archives and has long worked to document the history of people of African descent in South Florida.
Fields proudly expressed her joy over her daughter’s success. “Her achievements are a testament to her strength and perseverance. Her hard work and dedication paid off, and I couldn’t be more proud,” she told the Miami Herald. Dr. Fields also emphasized the importance of digitizing old records to help African American families recover their lost past.
Keeping Black History Alive Through Stories
The book’s release and its Pulitzer win arrive at a critical time. Across the country, debates around Black history in schools have become heated. Fields-Black’s work reminds readers why these stories matter and how important it is to connect with our ancestors’ experiences.
She hopes readers will take away two important lessons: first, that Harriet Tubman played a key role in the Civil War beyond her Underground Railroad work, and second, that historical documents like pension files hold powerful stories about Black lives.
“Once-difficult-to-access records are now digitized, giving African American families opportunities to recover more of our lost past,” Fields-Black shared.
