Harriet Tubman on the 20?
April 20, 2016 was a historic day for America. The Treasury Department announced that Harriet Tubman, a former slave who escaped to freedom and helped others do so as well, would be on the front of the $20 bill, bumping Andrew Jackson to the back of the bill.
Tubman would be the first woman so honored since Martha Washington’s portrait briefly graced the $1 silver certificate in the late 19th century
Tubman being on the 20 is shocking and exciting to most, however it’s bringing a look of disagreement and disapproval to others. Not everybody is agreeing with a former slave being the face of the new $20 bill.
“I don’t want to see Tubman commodified with a price, as she once was as a slave,” said Steven W. Thrasher, a contributing editor at Buzzfeed. “I don’t need to see hers as the face of the U.S. being passed in transactions to underpaid retail workers and appearing in print ads for transnational banks. It’s not that I object to Andrew Jackson getting sidelined from daily sight, but there’s something frank and honest about him occupying the $20 bill.”
Tubman being on the 20 is said to take place in 2020. Many people are happy that Harriet Tubman will be on the bill, but they’re not prepared to wait five years for these small changes to take place. The government plans to unveil the new bills to mark the 100th anniversary of woman’s suffrage, and that’s when they will be seen.
It will take more time for those redesigns to take place. This is due to security concerns: The blue anti-counterfeit strip on the $100 bill took 15 years to develop.
The Treasury is also committed to making the new bill more accessible for the visually impaired, meaning that they may have to develop new texture details.
So what do you think? Let’s talk news vs. opinions.
My name is Brianna but you can call me Bri or B. I am a Senior in the Journalism Academy. Aside from belching Beyonce songs, I like to help people, take...
Joanna BienAime • Sep 12, 2016 at 10:30 am
I understand where you’re coming from when you say to have a representation for blacks and whites. But whites have just about everything in America. Can an African American at least have credit for something? You are entitled to your own opinion but blacks are just as equal as whites.
Dillion McClain • Sep 9, 2016 at 3:31 pm
They should put the bald eagle on the $20 bill. For the majestic bald eagle is both black and white. Concerning the sex of the bird no one can tell the gender of a bald eagle with just a glance, except for complete weirdos. # Don’t let bald eagles go extinct # America is the best.