A woman’s place is on the $20: How Treasury Secretary Jack Lew betrayed a movement
Ladies first
Despite generations of inclusion in our democracy, women have a lot of catching up to do as of today, the 95th anniversary of the date we were at long last given the right to vote. Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew had a golden opportunity to move things in the right direction for the 51% — by deciding finally to put an unsung female hero on our male-only paper currency. Unfortunately, he’s on the road to blowing it.
Could Jackson's Days Be Numbered?
Treasury Secretary Jack Lew declines to respond to reporters asking whether it's Hamilton or Jackson who will be getting the boot. But an announcement will be coming soon. Read the full story here.
U.S. Treasurer Rios Defends Decision to Keep Hamilton
From the Huffington Post:
Excerpt: "Rios, who described it as a kind of "renaissance" that a woman will be on the $10 bill at all, said the goal of featuring a woman on currency wasn't to spark a debate about the merits of different Founding Fathers, or to pit one president against another to figure out who should be bumped. Instead, she said, the idea was to promote a conversation about notable women in American history and who deserves recognition." Read the whole story.
The New Yorker Gets Behind Harriet
Is half a $10 enough? Here's what Amy Davidson of the New Yorker thinks:
Excerpt: "What would it mean to recognize Harriet Tubman with just five dollars? Maybe ask it another way: what would five dollars mean to Harriet Tubman? And what might twenty have meant instead?" Read the full story.
Jimmy Kimmel Money Madness
One of the stranger takes on the Treasury initiative from the late night funnyman.
New Money, New Model
From The Atlantic: our money speaks volumes.
Excerpt: "As Americans select a portrait for the new ten, they are also choosing a model for twenty-first century political womanhood. By selecting a political activist, they would acknowledge the value of women in American politics. National recognition of women’s historical activism is important because a society that esteems women with political power may encourage more women to enter politics. If the new $10 bill recognizes one of the many women who made modern politics possible, it will inspire those who aim to continue to revolutionize American society." Read the whole article.
A Global Accounting
Where does U.S. money stand on the global gender equality scale? Check out this unscientific study.
Excerpt: "What is there in common between an Egyptian Pharaoh, a Swedish zoologist, a Bolivian lawyer, a Chilean war hero, a Nigerian bank manager, a tenth century Korean king and Mahatma Gandhi? The image of all of them is on a banknote. Oh, yes, and of course they all are (dead) men."
Brian Lehrer Show Features W20
A money expert and Women On 20s give Brian Lehrer the lowdown on the new $10.
Give a listen by clicking here.