She may not be a state leader, but she is a spiritual leader and civ has had a lot of those. Some people lead with a military and troops, but others lead by embodying a spirit, becoming a symbol of it and inspiring others to do the same. This spirit could be patriotic, religious, ethical or liberatory, either way a person’s passion and commitment to that spirit can draw others in and spread its influence just as much if not more than a state institution.

In the same vein tubman is a leader so is confucius who is also in the new civ. During his lifetime he was just an advisor to a petty king who rarely listened to with a small following. But after his death he became a symbol of ethics whose spirit looms large over much of east Asia. His influence is far greater than the Zhou or any of the other kings of the spring and autumn, yet he ranked far below them during his time.