Why does Harriet Tubman deserve to be on the $20 bill?

With newly installed President, Joe Biden, bringing new life to the mission of replacing the face of controversial 7th president, Andrew Jackson, with one of famed Civil War-era abolitionist, Harriet Tubman, I have heard this question more than once: "Why does Harriet Tubman deserve to be on the $20 bill?" Even seeing mention of it zip by on various social media platforms, not just news outlets or in casual conversation, here in the Southern USA.

There are some questioning the reasoning behind this potential change and why Mrs. Tubman even "deserves" such a distinguished spot, while seemingly "demoting" President Jackson from his place of honor since 1928, to the reverse side of the bill, where the White House has always been portrayed.

Even former President Donald Trump, before he was elected, made no effort to be discreet about his admiration of Andrew Jackson. In fact, Mr, Trump trivialized the proposed change in the currency as "pure political correctness". His suggestion was that Tubman be put on the $2 bill instead, which, of course, is rarely (if ever), used in modern society.

But for most, the reaction is a firm "SHOW ME THE TUBMANS!"

>> Fun fact: Mr. Jackson was actually quite wary of banks. He made no secret of the fact that he hated the National Bank, for various reasons. He went so far as to make it a point to criticize the bank in each of his yearly messages to Congress, saying the Bank of the United States was dangerous to the liberty of the people. Some of his reasons included his pride in being known as a "common" man, proclaiming the bank favored the wealthy. Additionally, fearing the expansion of eastern businesses in the west, he portrayed the bank as a "hydra-headed" monster. <<

So why does Harriet Tubman deserve to be on the $20 bill?

Why put her on monetary notes at all, and why would being recognized on that particular denomination likely feel somewhat fitting to her?

One reason of note, as press secretary, Jen Psaki said recently, it's important that "our money ... reflect the history and diversity of our country, and Harriet Tubman's image gracing the new $20 note would certainly reflect that. So we're exploring ways to speed up that effort."

In considering those Harriet Tubman would join on the U.S. currency, it would be considered quite an honor, of course. But there may be another, lesser-known reason why Tubman might get a little smile out of being specifically on the $20 bill.

History suggests the $20 note held a special place for Harriet Tubman

Tubman’s work of freeing slaves and fighting against the institution of slavery is what she is most known for. But Harriet Tubman was so much more. She was a five-foot-tall force! Tubman helped the Union Army during the Civil War. She was a laundry worker, a nurse, and eventually an armed scout & spy, according to most notable encyclopedias and history books.

While many know her name, few know about the scope of the challenges she overcame, including a catastrophic head injury from an incident in her early teens, that left her with narcoleptic seizures for her entire life; her extraordinary skills; or many of her other accomplishments, including the fact that she fought for human rights, including the women's suffrage movement, and access to social services that were being denied to African American seniors at the time, well into her old age. She was strong and resourceful, her entire life. She knew how to navigate by the stars. “Even though she could not read or write letters, she could read the world around her—the landscape, the people,” says Kate Clifford Larson, author of Bound for The Promised Land: Harriet Tubman: Portrait of an American Hero. “She also had a very dry sense of humor and had an intense love for people.”

In 1899, lawmakers finally agreed to set her monthly military pension to.. you guessed it! $20! (Note: The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ inflation calculator only goes back to 1913, but a good estimate of equivalency would be around $530/mo, as of December 2020. Seeing as that would make her annual pension $240 and the average worker at the time was earning around $675, that $20 "give" may seem paltry, but I would say it probably came with some real satisfaction. Her campaign for military pension was extensive.)

Is it an odd sort of irony that Harriet Tubman, a former slave, would share space on the bill with President Andrew Jackson, a slave owner? I look at it more of an acknowledgment. America is finally shifting, finally realizing it is not the same country that it once was. This modern America is a place where diversity matters. Where we can now make a hero out of someone like Harriet Tubman, who deserves to be a hero.

Our history is so much more than strictly senior, male, and Caucasian. I think most know better than that - and it is far past time to show those reflections in positive ways. What better way, than to start placing those true heroes into places of honor in our modern world.

Seeing Mrs. Tubman in everyday life is a perfect reminder of a truly selfless individual, paying it forward, to create a better world. Without her good deeds of the past, the America we know would be a very different place. Without her generosity, her caring spirit, and truly remarkable strength, so many here today, might not be here to continue paying it forward in so many beautiful ways.

Putting a legendary conductor of the Underground Railroad, Harriet Tubman, on one of the most commonly used bills of the country's currency seems like a hopeful & uplifting start!

My personal hope is that this comes to pass soon and that every time you see one of these $20 bills cross your path, you find a way to make a small difference in this beautiful world Harriet Tubman helped form.

Let's face it, we aren't all going to be Harriet Tubman type of giants! But every small deed we can do for another in this world, adds to the light, to the love, and replaces another fraction of the dark.

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