Stay Connected
Atlanta Black Star/Politics/National
Editor's PicksNationalNews

Black Twitter, Racist Trolls Have a Field Day with News About Harriet Tubman on $20 Bill

By | Published on April 21, 2016 | Updated on April 21, 2016 6:17 PM EDT
CommentsComments (1) Add ABS as a preferred source on Google i

harriet

Yesterday, the U.S. Treasury Department announced that abolitionist and Black liberator Harriet Tubman will appear on the front of the $20 bill, while notorious slave-owning President Andrew Jackson will be moved to the back in 2020.

According to Atlanta Black Star, Treasury Secretary Jacob J. Lew was criticized in the past by feminist groups for retracting a proposal to put an esteemed woman on the $10 bill. This promise to put a woman on the $10 bill would keep abolitionist Alexander Hamilton on the back but have a woman on the front. The smash Broadway hit Hamilton changed his mind and influenced his newest decision.

Atlanta Black Star reported that this announcement was met with mixed — and bigoted — reactions from users on social media, political pundits and others. One of the most notable was former Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson, who wanted Tubman on the $2 bill instead.

Some Twitter trolls had the worst possible response to the announcement. Many of them claimed “white genocide” and a “war on whites.”

Twitter user @extrahotcheese claims that bills with Tubman will be darkened similar to a minstrel caricature.

https://twitter.com/ExtraHotCheese/status/722839830464299008?ref_src=twsrc^tfw

This racist Twitter user implies that Black people use food stamps the most, even though the Huffington Post and many others have reported that whites use the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program program the most. In fact, the Huffington Post reported in 2015 that 40.2 percent of the program benefits goes to whites.

https://twitter.com/MAGAMan_X/status/722837996911767554?ref_src=twsrc^tfw

Twitter user @DathanScroggs is claiming white genocide in an effort to defend Jackson — slave owner, Native American mass murderer and much more.

https://twitter.com/DathanScroggs/status/722854409059762182?ref_src=twsrc^tfw

This user says Tubman is just too unattractive.

https://twitter.com/_AltRight_/status/722838402081497088?ref_src=twsrc^tfw

User @DarklyEnlightLM calls Tubman a “mudskin” and proclaims there is a “war on white” people.

https://twitter.com/DarklyEnlightLM/status/722841737996017665?ref_src=twsrc^tfw

That was only the tip of the iceberg of racist backlash. However, there were also lots of laughs and anticipation for the new currency.

User @pjhoody points out the strange dilemma racists will face in 2020.

@feminewbie wants a more bad-ass Harriet Tubman on her $20 bill.

https://twitter.com/XavierDLeau/status/722818409273159681?ref_src=twsrc^tfw

User @VictorPopeJr beleives that Tubman may be needed again if Republican front runner Donald Trump becomes president.

Journalist and news pundit Ronan Farrow pokes fun of the recent whitewashing and diversity issues in Hollywood.

https://twitter.com/RonanFarrow/status/722827652713742337?ref_src=twsrc^tfw

 

The ABS Newsletter — Stories that matter, in your inbox.

Independent journalism still matters.

We hope this story was worth your time. For over 14 years, Atlanta Black Star has stayed Black-owned and independently run. We didn't get here by waiting on ad budgets that were never built to prioritize us. Our readers did that.

Corporate support for Black media has always been thin. Outlets like ours get roughly 1% of the $170 billion spent on U.S. advertising each year, and that margin is shrinking further as advertisers walk back the DEI-linked commitments they made in 2020. That's the backdrop. It's not why we're asking.

The wider picture isn't any steadier. Newspaper ad revenue has fallen more than 80% since 2005, and local newsrooms are closing at a rate of roughly two a week nationwide. When outlets go under, it's rarely the ones built to center a Black perspective from the ground up that get to stick around.

We know a request for support isn't why you came here. But without readers choosing to fund this work directly, the depth of reporting we can do at home and abroad shrinks along with everyone else's. If you're not in a position to give, that doesn't change how much we value you as a reader.

If you are able to, a recurring contribution does more for us than a single one-time gift, because it lets us plan the next investigation instead of just the next invoice. It takes about 30 seconds, no long form, no account. Thank you for continuing to support independent journalism and freedom of the press.

Give once Give monthly Support another way

Latest from Atlanta Black Star

Back to top