Once popular for his exceptional music and fashion line, Kanye West is better known these days for his erratic behavior and questionable political opinions. Over the weekend, West held the first rally for his presidential campaign in North Charleston, South Carolina and this time he got Harriet Tubman involved.
Donning a bulletproof vest, the Chicago rapper ranted about a number of topics during the event. He said that he would leave his deals with Adidas and Gap if he didn’t get a spot on the board of each company, and sobbed when he revealed that his father wanted to have him aborted after informing the crowd that he and his wife Kim Kardashian had also considered an abortion.
His most controversial statement, however, was about abolitionist Harriet Tubman.
“Harriet Tubman never actually freed the slaves, she just had them work for other white people,” West said.
His comment was met with groans of disappointment and disbelief, with an audible “come on, man,” from one of the members of the crowd. Harriet Tubman is known as one of the most prominent figures in American history and she made over a dozen trips on the Underground Railroad to free slaves in the mid-1800s. West claimed that white people used “this Black iconography” to keep Black people content with their place in society.
West’s comments were met with disdain by people who attended the rally as well as those who watched online. One Twitter user admitted that they attended the rally for a laugh, but left as soon as the disparaging comment was made.
Kanye said this and I left immediately. I went for a laugh and I got one. But when it got disrespectful for me it was over. pic.twitter.com/nNqjUp03mu
— Toe Knee (@toekneerlynos) July 19, 2020
Kanye West at his “campaign rally” in South Carolina: “Harriet Tubman never actually freed the slaves, she just had them work for other white people.”
Loud groans from the audience, “come on man” can be heard pic.twitter.com/Q9g92UvZ27
— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) July 19, 2020
Harriet Tubman did not live through hell to become the first woman to lead a U.S military expedition just to be disrespected by a man who thinks khaki beige is a acceptable fashion decision. pic.twitter.com/jjk1oPAoq5
— Allie Lynn (@insert_____here) July 19, 2020
Harriet Tubman doesn’t give a damn about anybody’s koonfuturist opinion.
— Jeffrey Wright (@jfreewright) July 20, 2020
This is a literal cry for help. https://t.co/OnKU4uOXr2
— The Black, Green & Gold Table (@ThatDudeMCFLY) July 19, 2020
In 2018, Kanye prompted major backlash after he wrote a Tweet that said that 400 years of slavery was a choice.