Slavery

Did Kamala Harris descend from a slave owner and it is a "deep, dark secret" that has "come back to haunt" her? Yes, it is true that Sen. Harris does apparently have an Irish great-great-great-great-great grandfather who owned slaves in Jamaica, it is also likely that Harris's great-great-great-great-great grandmother was his slave and was impregnated through rape. This is no…

Does the English word "picnic" have its origins in describing festive events where racist whites would lynch Black men? No, that's not true: The word "picnic" dates back to the mid-to-late 18th century and comes from the French word "piquenique," according to the online etymology dictionary. Lynchings began in the United States in the late 19th century, according to the…

Does a photo of an African-American woman holding a plate of pancakes and with her leg chained to a table show "Aunt Jemima" who represented the pancake brand for decades? No, it does not: The photo is of photographer Sally Stockhold, a white woman who dressed in costume and blackface makeup several years ago to impersonate the iconic Aunt Jemima…

Did Joe Biden's Great-Grandfather Biden own slaves and fight for the Confederacy? No, there is no evidence that either is true. The former vice president's Great-Grandfather Biden was not born until 1867, two years after the end of the U.S. Civil War. His father Joseph Biden -- the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee's great-great-grandfather -- lived in Maryland, a Union state,…

Is it true that Robert E. Lee, commander of the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War, was not a slave owner, while Ulysses S. Grant, who led the Union Army, was? No, that's not true: General Lee owned dozens of slaves and controlled many more as the trustee of his father-in-law's estate, which he freed during the war.…

Did Atlanta Police say white supremacists shot seven black people, killing two, in a drive-by shooting in Atlanta on Saturday, June 13, 2020? No, that's not true: The Atlanta Police Department denied to Lead Stories that its spokesman said white supremacists carried out the attack. The author of the article, Tariq Nasheed, described himself as "the world's #1 Race Baiter."…

Are Bill and Melinda Gates, Dr. Anthony Fauci, bioethicist Christine Grady, World Health Organization Director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and several hundred others facing prosecution on charges of crimes against humanity? No, that's not true: There is no such criminal complaint. It is all made up. The false claim originated in an article (archived here) by Darrell Hines titled Truth to…

Did Hobby Lobby CEO claim not being able to own slaves violates his religious freedom? No, that's not true: This is a fictional story from a satire website. The story appeared in an article (archived here) where it was published by the website american-buffoon.com on April 13, 2020 under the title "Hobby Lobby CEO Claims Not Being Able To Own…

Is there language, only visible with a magnifying glass, beneath your social security card signature that amounts to a contract with the government? And does the number on the back of the card suggest that you are available to be bought and sold? No, that's not true: This is an old conspiracy theory with no basis in fact. The story…

Did Bernie Sanders say undocumented immigrants are "entitled" to government benefits during a campaign rally in Texas? No, that's not true: The candidate for the Democratic nomination for president said that his administration will be about "understanding that all of our people, and when I say all I also mean the undocumented in this country -- that all of our…