In a few years, If someone hands you a $20 bill and you don’t recognize the face on it, don’t accuse them of giving you fraudulent money. The US Treasury has reportedly decided to remove (or at least de-emphasize) former President Andrew Jackson from the $20 bill and replace him with Harriet Tubman.
Ever since the push to get a woman on American currency started last year, Jackson was a prime candidate for removal. He wasn’t part of the Founding Fathers (his presidency dated from 1829 to 1837), and he presided over the widespread removal and extermination of Native Americans during Trail of Tears. Not exactly admirable behavior. Ironically, he didn’t like the idea of paper money. Meanwhile, Harriet Tubman was an escaped slave turned abolitionist, suffragist, humanitarian and Union spy. Her contributions to human and civil rights are many, and she’s a great choice for the $20 bill.
Given that money is the central theme to many, many rap songs, it’ll be interesting to see how emcee incorporate Harriet Tubman into their rhymes. Something tells me it won’t be long before we hear the first few examples. People have already started commenting on the unannounced decision on Twitter.