Russell Simmons is apologizing for the incredibly degrading and disrespectful Harriet Tubman sex tape that sent women everywhere into a frenzy of outrage. Simmons claims that black women have “educated” him on why the video was so offensive and what types of age-old stereotypes it perpetuated.
What was supposed to be nothing more than a joke, turned terribly awry for the New York native and rightfully so.
Russell decided to share a video on Twitter that he believed was hilarious, but after he started receiving angry feedback he realized he crossed the line.
The video was posted on his very own YouTube channel and depicts an actress taking on the role of Harriet Tubman as she seduces and manipulates her slave master.
Harriet Tubman was a courageous abolitionist who escaped slavery and returned to lead hundreds of enslaved people to freedom though the Underground Railroad. During a time period when African-American women were continually raped and treated as sexual tools, it’s obvious why the video is so outrageously offensive.
Despite the ugly history of slavery, Simmons admitted that he was actually surprised at the video’s negative feedback.
Simmons sat down with Cynthia LuCiette, the host of the YouTube show BRKDWN, and shared how much the backlash broke his heart. He said black women had to educate him on why exactly the video was so offensive in the first place.
“When I got the call and found out black women were so disgusted by it, it broke my heart,” he said. “I’m sure I’m gonna piss off everybody again tomorrow. I got s**t that’s gonna piss people off…. but it’s not likely it’ll break my heart and make me react as quickly.”
In other words, he doesn’t feel that anyone can get under his skin the way African-American women can.
“This is about black women – and they can push me around a little quicker than the rest of the entire world,” he added. “And they didn’t push me around. They educated me on how hurtful it was because I never considered rape. I just saw her seduce, take advantage of and turn the tables on the slave master. That’s what I saw.”
Of course, not everybody else saw it that way.
What everyone else saw was someone trying to make light of a seriously dark time in history while also supporting the stereotype that black women are nothing more than sexually deviant Jezebels.
After the sea of backlash flooded in, Russell took to Twitter again to announce that the video had been removed.
“I get it and I respect it,” he tweeted. “The Harriet Tubman video has been removed.”
Needless to say the damage was already done and it’s hard for any black woman to just turn her cheek to the hyper-sexualization of a black female hero and revolutionary.
Russell Simmons. That is DUMB. Please, should you have to be educated by Black Women to this fact? Are you not the descendant of slaves? Just because you ate some Chinese chicken does not make you Chinese. And obviously fortune cookies were not part of your dessert. You are an old Black man.
Russell has pimped the Afrikan comm for yrs with that debit card Its obvious that he does not have a clue about our story His Asian women did not want him now he tries to lambast an icon smh! Sit down little penis! Shameful little old man!
Harrriet Tubman was noted to say that for as many that she led out of slavery she could have led out even more if only they had realized tbat they were enslaved. Hence Russell Simmons has a. Enslaved mind and mentality. How could he not know the pejorative nature if this video. I dont believe his feigning ignorance. He knew a d intentially made the video to make a statement of his opinion if Black Women. HE JUST DID NIT EXPECT THE. TO REACT. This is such a classical piece of history of how Black women were oppressed how could he not know. He like so many others express tbeir disdain re Black women…in not so subtle ways…Expose these Pimps…..
@Milagros yes….you said what I was si thinking ut was cmpelled to say in morw restrained terms…Thank you for your honesty….
Rofl….sometimes it is so refreshing to engage the discourse in tbe market place removed fro. The academic podium or the ministerial pulpit…because the spoken word discourse keeps it real without the signifying….