Facebook Live Premiere to Air Tuesday, March 10th, 6 PM EST
Miami, FL – (March 9, 2020) – OneUnited Bank, the largest Black-owned bank in America, will air “The Unveiling: The Story Behind the Harriet Tubman Card” on March 10th at 6 PM EST in celebration of Harriet Tubman Day. The recent criticism over the OneUnited Bank limited-edition Harriet Tubman Card presents an important opportunity for a conversation about Harriet Tubman’s economic empowerment legacy.
In 1858, Harriet Tubman bought her home in Auburn, New York, for $1,200 to provide a safe place for her family. The Harriet Tubman Home still exists today. She also bought 25 acres around her property in 1896 at auction for $1,450. She understood the necessity of economic empowerment for security, while fighting against the dehumanizing version of capitalism practiced in America. The economic empowerment legacy of Harriet Tubman has yet to be told. She deserves to be on the $20 bill.
There was a social media frenzy over the Harriet Tubman Debit Card with arms crossed, in what some tweets comically called “Wakanda” style. In OneUnited Bank’s March 2nd Facebook Live event, the artist, famed Miami based muralist Addonis Parker, explains his intentions when he painted his vision of Harriet Tubman in the painting “The Conqueror,” as the American Sign Language gesture for love, which is also where Director Ryan Coogler culled the “Wakanda: pose. The painting, which will be unveiled on March 10th, was completed in 2016, well before the release of the Black Panther film. Since the launch of the card, visits to the Bank’s website have increased 3-fold and new accounts have increased 10-fold. The Harriet Tubman Card is the #1 choice of new customers.
“We embrace both the criticism and the praise and respect all points of view, states Teri Williams, President & COO. “If the controversy expands our audience and ignites a larger conversation about Black economic empowerment and Harriet Tubman’s economic empowerment legacy, then the jibes were totally worth it.”
Tune in to the Facebook Live Premiere of “The Unveiling: The Story Behind the Harriet Tubman Card” at www.facebook.com/oneunitedbank on Tuesday, March 10, 2020 at 6 PM EST.
Media Contact:
Suzan McDowell, President, Circle of One Marketing
(305) 576-3790
[email protected]
OneUnited Bank
OneUnited Bank (www.oneunited.com) is the largest Black-owned bank in America, the first Black internet bank, a Minority Depository Institution and a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI).
