US Government presses on with Harriet Tubman $20 note after Trump delay
The new US administration has reinstated plans to issue a £20 note featuring Harriet Tubman an iconic figure in the fight against slavery:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-55808324
The move to replace the existing $20 note which features former President and slave owner Andrew Jackson had been blocked by Trump who unsurprisingly was a fan of Jackson.
As the BBC report the logistics of producing a new note means it will be a good while before it actually happens but it will no doubt annoy ‘anti-woke’ activists on both sides of the Atlantic.
It is probably best seen as an outcrop of the impact of the Black Lives Matter movement but don’t expect a UK banknote to appear featuring Mary Seacole or William Cuffay in the near future.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-53547483
Of course the symbolism of a $20 note on the poorest Americans, often ethnic minorities, who have little money, will quite rightly be mixed. Recognising the history of slavery is important but so is dealing in practice with its substantial legacy.
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