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Home • News

Someone Put A Pink Pu**y Hat On A Harriet Tubman Statue And People Are Not Happy

Someone Put A Pink Pu**y Hat On A Harriet Tubman Statue And People Are Not Happy
Emilio Guerra/Getty Images
By Paula Rogo · Updated October 24, 2020

A photo of the Harriet Tubman statue in New York City wearing a pink pussy hat during the Women’s’ March last weekend is making its rounds on social media, and many are not happy.

Hundreds of thousands of women took part in the first anniversary of the Women’s March in protests around the country. Though there is no evidence, many assumed that the pink hat, a symbol of the Women’s March movement, was put there by a white woman.

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#They put a pink pussy hat on Harriet Tubman & it’s upsetting me & my homegirl!!! pic.twitter.com/r25pg1djQr

— Waiting To Oxtail (@CoreyPTownsend) January 20, 2018
https://twitter.com/eveewing/status/954757922323648513

thinking that putting a pussy hat on a Harriet Tubman statue is solidarity with Black women is THE WHITEST THING I'VE SEEN IN A WHILE https://t.co/PHX15h8f0A

— The Du Boisian Biologist (@Hood_Biologist) January 20, 2018
https://twitter.com/MutazElnour/status/954764389206327296

Harriet Tubman risked death and worse to free 300 slaves in 10 years and a lot of y'all wouldn't even confront your racist aunt at Thanksgiving 🐸☕️ https://t.co/KKJa9LUaS1

— Angelo Guisado (@VoltaireLaFlare) January 22, 2018

On Sunday, a group of Black women apparently took matters into their own hands and cleaned up the statue, according to one witness.

“I was at Angel of Harlem for brunch yesterday and Black women were cleaning her up,” the witness wrote.

I was at Angel of Harlem for brunch yesterday and Black women were cleaning her up. This was left at the statue 😭 pic.twitter.com/pL8rkvTgdn

— you know my name; no need to know yours (@shaktischild) January 22, 2018

Many have noted that, given white feminism’s historic lack of intersectionality, Tubman would never don the hat, which has become synonymous with the Women’s March. And even though the march has called for equity and equality for all women, many Black women have voiced their concern at feeling a disconnect from the demonstration and many white women who fail to show up when it’s time to do work for Black liberation.