FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NEW YORK, April 20, 2016 – After more than a year of campaigning to convince the U.S. Treasury to replace the portrait of Andrew Jackson on the $20 bill with the face of a female American hero, Women On 20s is celebrating the Treasury Department’s decision to accelerate production of a new $20 bill, revealing its design in time for the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage in 2020 and working with the Federal Reserve Board to fast-track its issuance into circulation.
Secretary Lew’s choice of the freed slave and freedom fighter Harriet Tubman to one day feature on the $20 note is an exciting one, especially given that she emerged as the choice of more than half a million voters in our online poll last Spring. Not only did she devote her life to racial equality, she fought for women’s rights alongside the nation’s leading suffragists.
We are gratified to have sparked a conversation about the symbols and historical figures that define us as a nation. And we are heartened that Secretary Lew, U.S. Treasurer Rosie Rios and Federal Reserve Board Chair Janet Yellin are committed to including women in the portrait gallery of paper currency in the near future. Our work ahead will be to make sure the next administration makes this happen in a timely way.
“We are delighted that the parties involved in the decision are united in their commitment to the goal of honoring women in this most visible fashion,” said Women On 20s Founder Barbara Ortiz Howard. “It’s high time to get the party started.”
Women On 20s Executive Director Susan Ades Stone added, “We had been looking to this Treasury Secretary to put a woman front and center as soon as possible and powerfully inspire the quest for gender equality going forward. Today’s announcement is an important step in moving us closer to that goal.”
Ades Stone also noted, “This is just as much a victory for the millions of American people, young and old, who cared enough about women and their worth to rally for this historic change.”
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For more information, contact:
Susan Ades Stone, Executive Director [email protected]
Barbara Ortiz Howard, Founder [email protected]
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