Kanye West made headlines this week after making some bizarre claims at his presidential campaign rally. “Harriet Tubman never actually freed the slaves. She just had the slaves go work for other white people,” he said.
West’s comments were met with widespread backlash and even earned a response from Tubman’s great-great-great niece, Tina Wyatt, who told TMZ that if it weren’t for Harriet Tubman, Kanye West would still be a slave.
“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 said that if Tubman were still alive, she would tell the rapper to put his money toward something that will uplift the Black community.
“She would tell him, uplift. I don’t know where he’s putting his money,” Wyatt 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.”
