In information that may solely be described as “I do know you mendacity,” there’s been a wave of Black people on TikTok who imagine that famed abolitionist Harriet Tubman wasn’t an actual individual. The truth is, they imagine she by no means existed in any respect and the story we’ve all been advised for many years upon many years is nothing greater than faux information. Don’t fear, we’ll clarify.
How It Began
Effectively, issues all began when TikTok consumer Ce Chronicles put out a now-viral and since deleted video on the clock app some weeks again the place she mentioned that Harriet Tubman wasn’t an actual individual. She defined that her actual title was Araminta Ross and that she a spy for the U.S. authorities. She additionally mentioned that fellow abolitionist Sojourner Fact was additionally a spy and that her title wasn’t actually her title both.
“They need us to search for and idolize these individuals, oh properly, they appear like identical to me so I need to look as much as them.’ Cease that sh*t instantly,” she mentioned partially.
In consequence, this sadly kicked off a firestorm of people who felt the identical technique to hop on the app and provides their reasonings as to why they don’t imagine Tubman–or the Underground railroad wasn’t even an actual factor.
@tashatheestallion #greenscreenvideo What is happening ? Everytime I look up, black people are trying to erase their own history. Who is giving yall this information ? #misinformation #harriettubman #harriettubmanisfake #harriettubmandidntexist #undergroundrailroad #blackhistory #erasure #slavery #slaverydidnthappen #aramintaross
“Hear me out, that shit doesn’t make sense. Why would you be taking slaves underground in tunnel,” mentioned one consumer in a compilation video.
Added one other, “Harriet Tubman wasn’t even her title. I preserve telling y’all America is a stage. These persons are taking part in characters. Everyone for some odd cause has to alter their title.”
One other consumer additionally blasted Tubman and the railroad’s “faux” existence in a separate video, going as far as to say that Tubman was really trafficking slaves and never serving to them.
Fast Reality Examine
Now, let’s get to some information. Whereas it’s true “Harriet Tubman” wasn’t her delivery title, she was the truth is an actual individual. In accordance with data from Maryland State Authorities, Tubman was legally born with the title Araminta Ross again in 1822. She labored as a muskrat trapper, weaver, and nurse in her early years. Through the time of the Civil Struggle, she served as a Union Military as a prepare dinner and nurse, and later, an armed scout the place she used her contacts and data of the panorama present perception.
After marrying a free slave, John Tubman, she modified her title to Harriet Tubman so as to escape to freedom. Over time, she took a number of journeys to slave lands to assist free others in what we all know now because the Underground Railroad. No, it wasn’t an precise railroad that was underground, that was a simply title given to her efforts to explain the covert and strategic routes she took.
We must also observe that at the present time of rampant disinformation, deliberate makes an attempt at erasing Black historical past out of the historical past books, lecture rooms and establishments, an rising anti-DEI efforts: a take like that is past harmful. Not solely does it perpetuate a false narrative and feed into the push in direction of anti-intellectualism, it additionally insultingly downplays the contributions of Black people who actually constructed and formed this nation with their blood, sweat, and tears. We have already got white people making an attempt to tear down monuments, rename streets, and reframe slavery, so why within the hell are a few of our personal individuals partaking in comparable antics?
How It’s Going
Seeing the rise of all of the blatant untruths, different Black TikTokers made certain to fight the ignorance.
For genealogist and historian Walt Manner, he offered historic data and newspaper clippings from all around the world at the moment proving Tubman’s present and disproving her participation in trafficking enslaved Black people.
“To maintain it a bean with y’all, the truth that we now have to defend Harriet Tubman’s existence in 2025…not solely do we now have entry to letters she wrote, but in addition letters between different abolitionists that talked about her, he mentioned.
He later added: “Y’all significantly suppose a complete nation wrote a couple of fictional character for many years?”
For consumer Madison, she supplied a extra comical response, saying that the one correct response to individuals saying that Tubman wasn’t actual was: “Are you f*cking silly?”
“Like, sadly we do must get again to bullying. We’ve to get again to being like ‘you’re a f*ckign fool.’ Proper? What are you working with? Two mind cells which are simply knocking round in all of the free area between your ears? Harriet Tubman’s not actual?? That’s the conspiracy concept that we need to latch onto?” she mentioned partially.
We don’t know which half is worse: the actual fact there are individuals peddling this nonsense or that we’re all spending our time combating with our personal kinfolks making an attempt to disprove it. They are saying a home divided can’t stand, this isn’t the time for us to not be a united entrance. It’s actual harmful on the market and it’s solely getting worse. Black people, we gotta do higher.
Straight From
Join our free every day e-newsletter.