I'm elated that a woman will finally be represented on US paper currency. But why do so few seem to celebrate that a person of color will also be represented? Harriet Tubman, an activist and abolitionist most known for her leadership in the Underground Railroad, certainly deserves her place on the $20 bill. However, her identity as a black women cannot be ignored. If anything, Harriet Tubman is more known for her work fighting against racism than fighting against sexism. Why, then, is one part of her identity celebrated over another? From the mainstream media to
nerdy comics to my Facebook feed, people seemed to ignore this part of Harriet Tubman's identity (and I'm not even getting into the straight-up
racist reactions).
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An imagined Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill.
Source: Harriet Tubman Historical Society |
Of course, racism, sexism, and all of these -isms are ultimately connected and perpetuated by many of the same hegemonic power structures. Yet even "progressive" advocates are guilty of perpetuating other -isms. Many popular feminists like
Lena Dunham have been criticized for being "white feminists" insomuch as their work and advocacy excludes the struggles of women of color. (Some feminists of color instead use the term"
womanist" instead to separate themselves from white feminists). Speaking of dollars, while white women make only 78 cents on the dollar of what men make, black women make just 64 cents on the dollar and Latinas make 56 cents on the
dollar of what men make due to these institutionalized -isms. In fact,
some critics lament that putting Harriet Tubman on the $20 goes against everything she fought for by making her a symbol of the oppressive economy she fought against. (Root writer Cedric Mobley has a
great response to those critics).
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Gender Wage Gap (note that it fluctuates from year to year)
Source: New Republic & AAUW |
This post is long overdue, yet the problem remains. Certainly, we need more women, people of color, and other minorities represented on our currency. After all, money is power, and those who we chose to memorialize on currency retain that power symbolically. It should also be noted that Women on 20's, the group that advocated for Harriet Tubman to be on the $20 bill, has a
diverse list of women candidates who Harriet Tubman beat out. Let's not make the same mistake when these women get on our currency. Instead, let's celebrate all parts of their heritage & identity.
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Case in point: a search for "Harriet Tubman woman $20" on Google News yields 49,700 results, while "Harriet Tubman black $20" yields 31,300 results (and "Harriet Tubman African-American $20" yields 11,880). 31,300 + 11,880 still is less than 49,700. I'm unable to find the original print headlines from April 20, 2016 when it was announced that Tubman would grace the $20, but I'm still sleuthing.
