The move to place Harriet Tubman on the twenty-dollar bill is back on.
U.S. Congresswoman Joyce Beatty has been working tirelessly for Tubman’s image to be placed on the $20 note. Now that President Joe Biden is in office, Beatty is hoping to speed up the process of the “Woman on the Twenty Act of 2021” bill and replace Andrew Jackson’s image with a portrait of the late abolitionist.
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“For several years, I worked directly with the Department of Treasury to plan the release of the new $20 design featuring Harriet Tubman to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment,” said Beatty in a press release obtained by theGrio on January 25th.
“The American people want our currency to better reflect the diversity of our great country. I look forward to working with the Biden-Harris Administration, including the first-ever female Secretary of Treasury, Janet Yellen, to put a woman on the twenty and make the Tubman Twenty a reality.”
In 2015, during the Obama administration, Beatty introduced the “Woman on the Twenty Act” and spoke on the House floor in regards to putting Tubman on the bill. But during the Trump administration, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin did not commit to upholding the decision to put Tubman, who is arguably the most important historical figure in the nation’s history, on the bill.
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The bill was supposed to go into effect in 2020 due to a timeline created during the Obama administration. Mnuchin made a statement in June denying responsibility.
“I’m not going to comment on it because, as I’ve said, it’s not going to be my decision,” said Mnuchin. “It’s going to be a Treasury secretary’s decision in the future.”
But White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki announced Monday that plans to place Tubman back on the bill are moving forward. During a daily press briefing, she said, “It’s important that our money reflect the history and diversity of our country.”
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