Harriet Tubman, Susan B. Anthony and Eleanor Roosevelt are just several choices out of 15 possible historical women who could end up on the $20 bill if the nonprofit group Women on $20s gets its way. From the moment I heard about this effort on news sites and social media I was hooked, intrigued and excited to cast my vote.
Women on $20s hopes to transform one of our most popular bills into an egalitarian and inclusive form of currency by 2020, the centennial anniversary of women’s suffrage. The initiative is described as a “simple, symbolic and long-overdue change (that) could be an important stepping stone for other initiatives promoting gender equality.” The group’s mission statement continues, “Our money does say something about us, about what we value.”
This last sentence couldn’t be more true. Highlighting only the Founding Fathers and presidents in our history is just another way of erasing female involvement in the shaping of America’s past. It demonstrates that women aren’t as valued as their male counterparts.
While Susan B. Anthony and Sacagawea are found on the silver and gold dollar coins, these forms of currency have low mint rates and are rarely used or seen by Americans. Having a woman featured on the 20, one of the most widely used bills, would be an incredible way to showcase herstory, not just history.
The candidates, which include women from the 1800s like Sojourner Truth and Red Cross founder Clara Barton to the more recent Rosa Parks and Title IX supporter Patsy Mink, were selected by more than a dozen women’s historians and academicians.
The Women on $20s website provides information about all 15 women on its ballot. Once a person reads through the options, he or she can vote for up to three. The top three women will advance to the final round, where people can vote again for their top choice. If the petition gains at least 100,000 votes, it will be sent to the White House for consideration.
The organization is currently halfway to its goal and believes booting Andrew Jackson off his spot (where he’s been since 1929) is attainable. Jackson, who had a heavy hand in sending the Cherokee nation on the Trail of Tears, has long been a controversial choice for the 20.
Even President Obama seemed to support the idea when he commented on a letter he received from a young girl who asked him why there aren’t any women on U.S. currency.
“She gave me a long list of possible women to put on our dollar bills and quarters,” Obama said. “Which I thought was a pretty good idea.”
If our country shows that we value the women in our society and women’s history as a whole, it could be a step in the right direction for overcoming gender inequality and rape culture.
Feminist and journalist Gloria Steinem said, “Women have always been an equal part of the past. They just haven’t been part of history.” I think it’s time we change that. With a quick visit to Women on $20s’ website, you can cast your ballot and help make the change too.
Jamie Bernard can be reached at bern2479@stthomas.edu.