Harriet Tubman's Descendant Says Kanye 'Would Still Be on That Plantation' Without Her

Harriet Tubman's great-great-great niece took offense to Kanye West's comments about her aunt, and explained what Tubman would tell him if she were here today.

View this video on YouTube

youtu.be

Kanye West’s comments about Harriet Tubman from his South Carolina campaign rally have rubbed Tubman’s family the wrong way.

Tubman’s great-great-great niece, Tina Wyatt, took offense to Kanye’s remarks, telling TMZ that Kanye would be a slave if it weren’t for Tubman.

“If we were left alone, we would be in an entirely different place,” Wyatt said. “She was selfless. She was already free. She didn’t have to come back—she didn’t have to risk her life, but she did it countless times. And if it hadn’t been for people like her, he would still be on that plantation. He would not be able to be out there saying the things he says and he wouldn’t have the money he has because they would have it all.”

Wyatt also had a message for Kanye on what Tubman might tell him if she were still here. “She would tell him, uplift. I don’t know where he’s putting his money,: she said. "It seems like he wants to talk about a lot of things but the thing is, put your money into something that will uplift other people. Him [running for] president is not one of them.”

During his event, Kanye fired off a number of controverisal opinions, one of which was that Tubman—a leading slavery abolitionist—didn’t actually do anything. “Harriet Tubman…never actually freed the slaves,” Ye said. “She just had the slaves go work for other white people.”

T.I., 50 Cent, Snoop Dogg, and Noname also felt like Kanye disrespected Tubman’s legacy, with T.I. writing on Instagram, “THIS IS ABSOLUTELY TOO FAR!” He continued, “I truly hope you either have a logical explanation for all this... or get the medical attention you so desperately need, bro. I say this with love and sincerity.”

Latest in Music