The National Black Cultural Information Trust’s TikTok Cultural Education program was created to clarify popular myths surrounding Black history and historical figures. Part II of our “Fake Black History that Way Too Many People Believe” series discusses a popular fake Harriet Tubman quote, misinformation about the Tuskegee Syphilis Study, and the myth surrounding the death of Dr. Charles Drew. The purpose of the series is to highlight how easily misinformation becomes normalized and to provide educational information and cultural clarity surrounding popularized misinformation embedded in many African American history discussions.
@jamaiwuyor Major examples of fake #blackhistory part 2. #africanamericans #blackamericans #blackhistorytiktok #blackculture #blacktiktoker #fyp
Transcript:
Fake Black history that way too many people believe, part two.
Remember this Harriet Tubman quote, “I freed a thousand slaves. I could have freed a thousand more if only they’d known they were slaves.” Yeah, she never said that. That’s fake, fakiety fake. Some historians believe that it started circulating in the 1990s.
Number two, the Tuskegee syphilis study. A lot of people believed the men were injected with syphilis, but that’s not what happened. They already had it, but they were denied healthcare. They were told they were being treated for bad blood, but instead they were given placebos. Doctors could have given them penicillin to cure them, but instead did not. The government allowed these men to suffer needlessly so they could study the long term effects of untreated syphilis on the human body.
Number three, remember the story of Dr. Charles Drew, the Black doctor that pioneered blood banks, but then got in a car accident and passed away after being denied a blood transfusion at a white hospital? That didn’t happen. He did get in a car accident, and he did pass away, but he was treated immediately. The rest of the story is false.
Sources:
Harriet Tubman Quote “I free a thousand slaves” is fake:
False quote on freed slaves wrongly attributed to Harriet Tubman
https://apnews.com/article/archive-fact-checking-2312300417
Harriet Tubman Biography: Harriet Tubman Myths and Facts
http://www.harriettubmanbiography.com/harriet-tubman-myths-and-facts.html
The Truths Behind the Myth of Harriet Tubman
http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/news/perspective/the-truths-behind-the-myth-of-harriet-tubman/
Tuskegee Syphilis Study: The victims were not injected with syphilis. They were denied treatment for syphilis.
Descendants of Tuskegee Syphilis Study Survivors Say It Was Nothing Like the Covid-19 Vaccine
https://zora.medium.com/descendants-of-the-tuskegee-syphilis-study-survivors-speak-out-on-the-covid-19-vaccine-6bb800d1ad17
“Some people also think it was an experiment that gave these men syphilis, and it wasn’t. They didn’t give these men treatment. They wanted these men to die so they could do autopsies and study the results. They had already done syphilis studies in Europe. It was an absolutely egregious thing. I don’t think many in our community know much about this study.” – Joyce Christian, daughter of Tuskegee Syphilis Study victim, Freddie Lee Tyson.
Families of men in notorious syphilis study speak up for vaccination
https://www.ama-assn.org/delivering-care/public-health/families-men-notorious-syphilis-study-speak-vaccination
Dr. Charles Drew was not denied healthcare.
The Truth About the Death of Charles Drew – June 2004
https://www.ferris.edu/HTMLS/news/jimcrow/question/2004/june.htm
THE DEATH OF A LEGEND
https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/entertainment/books/1996/07/14/the-death-of-a-legend/90c4e59b-958c-44f9-bbb6-39a3d71f8146/
The Color of Blood
https://nmaahc.si.edu/blog-post/color-blood