PORTRAIT OF HARRIET TUBMAN TO GRACE NEW $20 BILL
Harriet Tubman, a former slave, and abolitionist who, as a “conductor” on the Underground Railroad helped hundreds of African-Americans escape slavery, will replace former U.S. President Andrew Jackson on the face of the $20 bill. The makeover was announced by U.S. Treasury Secretary, Jacob J. Lew. A smaller image of Jackson will appear on the reverse side of the bill along with White House.
Tubman, who also served as an armed scout and spy for the Union Army during the Civil War, will be the first woman to grace U.S. paper currency since Martha Washington’s portrait briefly appeared on the $1 silver certificate in the late 19th century. A U. S dollar coin minted from 1979 to 1981 and again in 1999, featured Suffragist Susan B. Anthony’s image. Minting of the coin ceased in 2000.
Secretary Lew also announced plans to revise the $10 and $5 bill. While, Alexander Hamilton will remain on the front of the $10 bill, the other side will feature an image of the historic march for suffrage that ended on the steps of the Treasury Department and honor the leaders of the suffrage movement – Lucretia Mott, Sojourner Truth, Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Alice Paul. The back of the new $5 bill will honor events at the Lincoln Memorial that helped to shape our history and our democracy and prominent individuals involved in those occasions, including Marian Anderson, Eleanor Roosevelt and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. In a letter to the American people, Secretary Lew wrote that, with the changes he outlined, “our currency will now tell more of our story and reflect the contributions of women as well as men to our great democracy.”
The Susan B. Anthony dollar was a United States dollar coin minted from 1979 to 1981, when the series was halted due to poor public reception, and again in 1999.
OTHER NEWS
April Is National Minority Health Month
This April, join The Black Women’s Agenda, Inc. in celebrating National Minority Health Month. This year, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health (OMH) will join partners in raising awareness about the important role an active lifestyle plays in keeping us healthy. Their theme for the 2019 observance is Active & Healthy, which will “allow OMH and minority health advocates throughout the nation to emphasize the health benefits of incorporating even small amounts of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity into our schedules.
Black Women Focus on Aging Mastery
The Black Women’s Agenda recently hosted a summit themed, “I Am the Change: Living Your Best Life at Every Age,” at Morgan State University in Baltimore, MD. Sponsored by AARP and featuring leading experts in the fields of health, education, and economic security, the event focused on the importance of health and wellness in the aging process.
“Too often black women are focused on everyone and everything except themselves,” said panel moderator Dr. Rockeymoore Cummings. “Our concern for and work on behalf of our families and communities competes with our ability to implement self-care strategies that support our physical, emotional, spiritual, and socioeconomic wellbeing.”
March is Women’s History Month
This March, join The Black Women’s Agenda, Inc. as we celebrate Women’s History Month. Congress first declared March as Women’s History month in 1987. Since then, every year there’s a Presidential Proclamation to announce the month and to honor women who have made a notable impact in history.
According to the National Women’s History Alliance, “In February 1980, President Carter issued the first Presidential Proclamation declaring the Week of March 8th 1980 as National Women’s History Week. In the same year, Representative Barbara Mikulski, who at the time was in the House of Representatives, and Senator Orrin Hatch co-sponsored a Congressional Resolution for National Women’s History Week 1981. This co-sponsorship demonstrated the wide-ranging political support for recognizing, honoring, and celebrating the achievements of American women.
© 2019 The Black Women’s Agenda, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy