Harriet Tubman on a Debit Card: A Tribute or a Gaffe?

“Harriet Tubman is the ultimate symbol of love — love that causes you to sacrifice everything, including your own life,” the bank said.

Those who saw echoes of “Black Panther” in Tubman’s gesture were not far-off.

In 2018, the film’s director, Ryan Coogler, revealed that the “Wakanda Forever” salute comes from Egyptian pharaohs and West African sculptures, as well as the words “love” and “hug” in American Sign Language.

On Sunday, Mr. Parker said he moved the gesture higher in the card’s image to keep it visible.

Ms. Williams said in an interview on Sunday that she understood and respected the reactions the card has drawn, but that OneUnited had the power to push for Tubman to appear on the $20 bill. She said the bank had also received messages of support.

“Even though it’s symbolic, it matters,” she said, adding that it boiled down to: “Why is it that only white people are on money? Why is that?”

The Tubman card is the one bank customers had selected the most since Thursday, she said, declining to give specific figures.

The card was the ninth in a series that began in 2016, featuring what Ms. Williams said were “unapologetically Black” figures. The bank said using the images was a way to “make a statement that #BlackMoneyMatters with every dollar” spent.

The goal of OneUnited, which has its headquarters in Boston, is to use banking for the benefit of black people, Ms. Williams said.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/16/business/harriet-tubman-one-united-bank.html?emc=rss&partner=rss