New Harriet Tubman Debit Card Has Caused Outrage
Apparently, Harriet Tubman’s image is being used for a new debit card issued by One United Bank, as MSN reports.
Tubman appears in the image facing forward while crossing her arms over her chest to resemble an X, similar to Black Panther‘s “Wakanda Forever” salute.
The bank was accused of co-opting a black historical figure in an attempt to pander to black customers. Critics on social media, have pegged the card as “cheesy,” “exploitive,” and “unironically tasteless.” Some even didn’t believe that the debit card was real.
However, One United Bank noted on Twitter that Tubman isn’t supposed to be referencing Black Panther, or Wakanda, which is the fictional sub-Saharan nation that the film takes place at.
Tubman is instead using American Sign Language to say “love.” “She was about love,” Addonis Parker, the Miami artist behind the painting, told The Washington Post. “It took sacrifice and love for her to do everything she’s done.”
One United Bank is the largest black-owned bank in the United States, and it wanted to clarify that the debit card was set out to represent an unapologetic show of blackness.
