At approximately 5:00 pm today, the final decision from the treasury clarified the rumor that had been spinning all day long. The country was prepared for Harriet Tubman to be the new face of the $20 dollar bill; the face that would replace one of the most controversial Presidents of our History, Andrew Jackson. However, you all already know the ole boys weren’t going out without a fight. In an interesting decision after months of debate to remove Jackson from the bill, the treasury decided that Tubman, the Moses of Slaves, and Andrew Jackson, a slave owner and the Father of the “Trail of Tears”, will share their legacies on the $20 bill.
The plan is that Tubman will replace Jackson’s face on the front and they will pay homage to Jackson on the back of the bill. The image has not yet finalized. Supporters of removing Jackson entirely from the $20 bill are not happy because of his stance on slavery, abolition and the removal Native Americans from Georgia; others seem to think that his beliefs shouldn’t entirely negate his contributions to American History.
It’s always an interesting notion that blacks are encouraged to let “slavery go” and “move on”; yet in the same breath, our Caucasian sisters and brothers hang on dearly to their historical figures and flags – no matter how detrimental those figures were to other cultures. Let us take a deep sigh, digress and rest easy knowing those big face Tubmans are coming to a bank near you really soon!
Syllabus Magazine, the Carolina’s source for Music, Culture and Fashion
