Was Harriet Tubman a CISSP?
By Julius Clark, MBA, MSIS, CISSP, CISA & member of the IT Think Tank Special Interest Group
Harriet Tubman faced safeguarding runaway slaves to
freedom, is more than most Information Security pro-
fessionals will ever face in their career.
My vision as an African American and CISSP®
permitted me to map the abolitionist work of Harriet
Tubman to the 10 Information Security domains of
the CISSP® certification. African American heritage is
This is my way to celebrate and honor abolitionist connected uniquely to the information Security field.
Harriet Tubman. She is the African American woman I Our struggle for freedom depended much on keeping
most admire for her courage and dedication to secure secrets, while at the same time being able to commu-
freedom for her people, despite the risk of losing nicate, share and collaborate in an effort to free slaves
her own life. My hope is that this work inspires and and ultimately abolishing slavery.
motivates minority students to pursue STEM careers,
especially in Information Security.
The significance of Harriet Tubman’s work is larger
than just seeking freedom for the African American
Globally the CISSP® (Certified Information Systems slave. Globally the soul of humankind desires desper-
Security Professional®) certification is recognized as the ately to live a life of their own free will, and wherever
premier certification for individuals in the Information the struggle exists for freedom against persecution in
Security field. I attained my CISSP® in October of 2008, our world, so will the need to safeguard information,
after attaining my Masters in Information Security, technology, people and processes, because security is
gaining job experience and plenty of study. The risks intrinsic to life!
28 • Alumni Arsenal | November 2009 The Official Magazine of the NSBE Alumni Extension
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