SHOW ME THE TUBMANS

U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) poses for a photograph before a rally with fellow House Democrats June 27, 2019

U.S. Democratic senators are urging the Trump administration to revive plans to place abolitionist Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the department is no longer pursuing the redesign, according to Reuters.

The backstory:
The Obama administration announced in 2016 that Tubman — who was born into slavery in the early 1820s and later helped hundreds of enslaved people escape through the Underground Railroad — would replace President Andrew Jackson on the $20 bill. Earlier this month, however, Bessent said the Treasury Department was "not at present" planning to move forward with the redesign. Had the change been made, Tubman would have become the first Black American featured on U.S. paper currency, Reuters reported.

What they're saying:
"The process to celebrate Tubman through our currency included extensive public engagement and bipartisan recognition of her extraordinary contributions to our nation, but your recent decision ignores that and abandons years of work at Treasury to honor her legacy," a group of senators led by Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire and Chris Van Hollen of Maryland wrote in a letter to Bessent obtained by Reuters.

"We urge you to immediately reconsider and resume plans to create the new bill without further delay," the senators wrote, also asking Bessent to explain what informed the decision, Reuters reported.

To read the complete articles, see:
Harriet Tubman $20 bill redesign faces renewed push from Democratic senators (https://www.fox26houston.com/money/harriet-tubman-20-dollar-bill-plan)
Shaheen, Van Hollen Call on Treasury Secretary Bessent to Explain Inaction on Long Overdue Harriet Tubman $20 Bill Redesign (https://www.shaheen.senate.gov/news/press/shaheen-van-hollen-call-on-treasury-secretary-bessent-to-explain-inaction-on-long-overdue-harriet-tubman-20-bill-redesign)

After escaping slavery in Maryland in 1849, Tubman crossed into Canada West (now Ontario), eventually making St. Catharines her home. She lived in the city for approximately a decade, from 1851 until the early years of the American Civil War.

During that time, St. Catharines became one of the most important centres of the Underground Railroad. Thousands of formerly enslaved African Americans found freedom in the Niagara region after crossing the Niagara River from the U.S.

To read the complete article, see:
Harriet Tubman $20 bill redesign delayed again (https://canadiancoinnews.com/harriet-tubman-20-bill-redesign-delayed-again/)

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