Kanye West held his first political rally on Sunday night and during his speech, he criticized Harriet Tubman, drawing shouts of opposition from the crowd.
Harriet Tubman was born a slave but she escaped slavery to become a leading abolitionist. She helped rescue approximately 70 enslaved people.
Tubman is one of the most respected figures of 19th century America.
However, as US rapper/ presidential aspirant Kanye West was speaking in North Charleston, South Carolina, at his first event since declaring himself a presidential candidate, he ranted against the historical figure.
He said Harriet Tubman “never actually freed the slaves, she just had them work for other white people.”
Immediately he uttered the statement, the was an uproar. Some people are heard saying, “We leaving right now.”
The outrage did not end at his rally. Black people have taken to various social media platforms to call him out for his statement and how it distorts history.
This isn’t the first time Kanye has angered Black people with his opinions about racism. Back in May 2018, he said slavery was a “choice”.
He said at the time, “When you hear about slavery for 400 years — for 400 years?! That sounds like a choice. Like you was there for 400 years, and it’s all of y’all? It’s like, we’re mentally imprisoned.”
