There's even a song!!
GiveMemes
I imagine the at least some portion of the criticism comes from irritated leftists as well. Harriet Tubman is basically a civ leader chosen to pander to and resonate with a certain US-centric audience, but it should be noted the lack of representation of actual African civilizations as compared to a continent like Europe. Here's a couple maps to show what I mean:
https://i.redd.it/6hjvikrkwuu71.png
https://preview.redd.it/bc6rvax3m4851.png?auto=webp&s=6fb79dd4a68ce627fbd530d7105ef0385ca23d8c
It's inherent imperialism and pandering that the same western countries are given so much love when there are so many really cool civs out there that haven't been explored at all. Not to mention the fact that the majority of the African civilizations and city states that have made it into the game are centered (unsurprisingly) around the Mediterranean sea.
The problem is that these people have no way to pay their back taxes except rusted out old trucks and dilapidated huts. Then our billionaire overlords get away with murder even more despite actually having the resources to pay for their shit since it's another is agent not working the big, difficult case.
If you're ever driving thru a rural area, try the fast food there. It tends to be a lot better as it's in pretty direct competition to family owned restaurants in these areas and therefore tends to be fresher and stuff. Like near my grandpa's farm the best breakfast around is the IHOP and its the best IHOP I've ever been to in my life by far because it has to compete with mom and pops diners at similar price points whereas in more populated areas the mom and pops places tend to be more expensive than fast food.
Yay pseudoscience!!