People Are Livid Over Harriet Tubman Visa Card Showcasing Black Panther Wakanda Forever Salute

Black History Month is in full swing in the United States and one bank took Wakanda Forever a bit […]

February 13, 2020, 5:30pm

Black History Month is in full swing in the United States and one bank took Wakanda Forever a bit too far. OneUnited Bank is one of the largest African-American owned banks in the country and they made a limited-edition Harriet Tubman card to celebrate the holiday. Only one problem, they had her posed in the Wakandan salute made popular by Black Panther. People on the Internet are upset and want some answers about how exactly this happened. On the front of the card, Tubman is shown in the headwrap she normally has in illustrations, but things get a little weird when she’s got her hands up in that now-infamous Black Panther salute. (To be fair it is funny in a bit of a cheeky way, but some are absolutely not amused.) The actual image comes from a painting by Adonis Parker called “The Conqueror.”

Videos by ComicBook.com

OneUnited is only offering the card in 2020 and anyone who owns the card can get new cards with the design when they decide to replace their current one. Tubman is a central figure in United States history for her work in both escaping slavery and freeing 300 people through the Underground Railroad. If that weren’t enough, she was an armed scout for the Union Army and advocated for women’s voting rights during her life.

Teri Williams is the President and COO of OneUnited. She said of the card in a press release, “We have the power to place Harriet Tubman on a global payment device in celebration of Black History Month. This symbol of Black empowerment in 2020 will pave the way for the Harriet Tubman design on the $20 bill.”

Omg this is legitimately hilarious I had to screenshot it before it’s deleted.

A debit card with Harriet Tubman throwing up the Wakanda salute 😭😭😭😭😭

I thought for sure this was just a brand doing “brand things,” but even a “Black-owned” bank has to know this is bad, right? pic.twitter.com/mQqhq9IJ5G
— Robert Xavier (@RXFrench) February 13, 2020

Check out some of the responses below:

Uhmmm…History?

DO YOU THINK HARRIET TUBMAN WAS WALKING AROUND SALUTING WAKANDA WHILE SHE WAS TAKING SLAVES???? TO FREEDOM? https://t.co/1yhWavQy0m
— marv (@ofstarvinmarrv) February 13, 2020

Who knew?

Who knew that Harriet Tubman eas freeing slaves & taking them to Wakanda? https://t.co/6DC1cIZWsT
— Joel Jackson (@boomer4568) February 13, 2020

Make it make sense

I know yall don’t got Harriet Tubman on this bank card doing the Wakanda salute. https://t.co/Zvq7eFiLkT
— fantasia’s babyphat bag (@yaassciarra) February 13, 2020

Oh, IT’S REAL

Is this real?

Did some bank actually make a Harriet Tubman credit card and have her doing the *squints* Wakanda Salute?? https://t.co/U0F1izF1dp
— RBe (@RBPundit) February 13, 2020

Come on, man!

This actually has. @Visa logo??!!

Come on man https://t.co/csQk15SWfA
— 𝐄𝐱𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐫 𝐏𝐨𝐩𝐞 (@exavierpope) February 13, 2020

lol Man…

Ive always said that if there’s anything on this Earth that I’ve always wanted on my debit card it woul be Harriet Tubman throwing up “Wakanda Forever” https://t.co/hVwNi49qPq
— y’all some bammas (@Deion_Slanders) February 13, 2020

They thought they had one.

I’m laughing so hard at them having Ms. Harriet Tubman giving the Wakanda salute. Someone in the executive offices thought they had a sure fire winner with that. Lord forgive me
— Krysilove (@krysilove) February 13, 2020