Harriet Tubman has been chosen to be the new face of the 20 dollar bill, which has inevitably caused discussion and controversy. For me though, the new bill is not a clear-cut win or lose. It is not a setback or a success, but rather both, somehow combined.
One strong pro of this new bill will be the representation this will provide for black women. One does not have to be an economist to know that money is a huge part of the everyday lives of Americans. Money, whether you believe it should be or not, runs the country. Harriet Tubman, refugee, outlaw and hero to many, will now without a doubt be seen by millions of people. Black mothers will be allowed to use a piece of currency as a teaching moment for their little black girls on the importance of fighting for what you believe in. Little black boys and girls will be able to say that maybe they could be the face of a dollar bill one day. Before, all they would have seen represented on currency was old white men in wigs. This matters. The confidence that representation brings to black kids is ironically, priceless. They do not usually get to see people like them in powerful or major positions; so when they do, it is influential.
While this is a milestone for black people, many question the method of representation, rightfully so. Money is the backbone of the system that Harriet Tubman was running from and fighting against. Harriet Tubman’s life was reduced down to money for her capture. Slavery itself thrived off of money. Capitalism has never done black people any good, and Harriet Tubman was not immune from that. It is sad irony that she is on the face of a currency that warranted the desire to have her killed. It is important to note though, that Harriet Tubman was not anti-capitalism. When discussion of historic figures comes up, it is always easy to imagine what they would have said because they are not here anymore, but pushing your own agendas on the dead is not fair. Harriet Tubman actually pushed for freed slaves to make their own living and support themselves instead of being supported by the government. Maybe she would have thought differently if she was alive today, but it is not our job to play a guessing game. She was not a socialist. She was not a communist. She was Harriet Tubman, a black woman who fought like hell to free and liberate slaves.
One of the indisputable failures of this new bill is the fact that Andrew Jackson will still be represented on the back of the bill. Andrew Jackson was a racist slave owner, it is a fact. The U.S. Department of Treasury had to have been aware of how disrespectful it is to leave him on the bill with Harriet Tubman, who spent her life fighting against men just like him. It is truly unacceptable that in 2016 we still have to argue whether or not a man with a clearly racist past should be represented on a bill used by all people, even the ones he would have forced to work for him.
With all of that being said, none of that can break my spirit. None of that can crush the excitement I have to hold that first Harriet Tubman bill in my hand. I refuse to let the ignorance and negligence of some dim this hope I feel because of this. People who do not agree with the choice to put her on the bill should not condemn those who do. It has its flaws, yes. But it is still history. We are still in a very important moment in time. Try to enjoy it, and if you can’t, at least let the rest of us try to.
