Credit: Wikimedia Commons
I don’t know if you’ve heard, but there’s been a big push lately to oust Jackson* from the $20 bill and replace him with a woman.
The nonprofit behind it is called Women on 20s, and they aim to disrupt the white male state of this country’s currency. After a year of planning, the folks at WO2 have come up with a list of 15 women that they think deserve a place on paper money, which you can vote on right now.
Though President Obama has given his verbal support of the idea, this is all in the fantasy-drafting stage right now. Call me defeatist, but I doubt this will actually happen. I mean, look at all the sexist garbage we are still putting up with these days. If people can’t handle the idea of female NFL refs, I doubt they will take much of a shine to putting women on currency.
But . . . what if it they do?
Here is our list of predictions, ordered from least to most likely, of who might get the glory of having their face stock ATMs everywhere. While whoever decided this list played a little fast and loose with established criteria for monetary fame (money men have all held office or at least influenced those that did), we’re working off a combo of politically-aligned work (bonus points for being an actual employee of the government), name recognition and overall contribution to society. Ready?
Patsy Mink
Real talk: Patsy Mink sounds amazing. Just listen to this list: First woman of color elected to the House of Representatives. First Asian American woman to run for Congress. First Asian American woman to run for President. First Japanese American woman to practice law in Hawaii. During her time in Congress, she co-wrote Title IX, which barred gender discrimination in federally-financed programs and institutions.
Despite all this, I had never heard of her until this list. Maybe I just wasn’t paying attention in 8th grade history (sorry, Ms. Camagna), but I do feel like someone needs to be, like, Lady Gaga-level famous to have a real shot at being on a nation’s currency, and I don't think Patsy Mink ever took a stadium tour. She should get her face on a bill, but will she? Sadly, not likely.
Government Employee? Yes
Political Rabble-Rouser? Yes
Star Power: 2/10
Alice Paul
There’s no biopic in the works for her, but Alice Paul was pretty rad. Literally. A fighter for women’s voting rights, she trained with the considerably more hardcore English suffragettes, then brought all she learned back to the U.S., where she picketed the White House and staged a hunger strike . . . from a jail cell. Important stuff but, unfortunately, history has favored her predecessors Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony.
Government Employee? No
Political Rabble-Rouser? Yes
Star Power: 2/10
Betty Freidan
If your mom ever jumped into championing women’s rights, civil rights, gay rights or any other kind of rights back in the day, there’s a chance she got into it because of Betty. Betty penned The Feminine Mystique in 1963, the book that’s said to have kicked off second-wave feminism. While her work had political ramifications and she dabbled in activism herself, she’s a little too far removed from Capitol Hill for it to likely happen.
Government Employee? No
Political Rabble-Rouser? Yes
Star Power: 4.5/10
Rachel Carson
Rachel Carson was a government scientist and later a writer best known for publishing Silent Spring, on the dangers of pesticides. Throughout her life, she chipped away at barriers for women in science; barriers that are still in place today.
I love me some Rachel Carson, but this seems like an oddball choice. Sure, she’s one of the standard suggestions for biography subjects in every middle school classroom, but she’s often the last one picked—the one that the kid who was sick on selection day gets stuck with. She’s got a famous enough name, and she got us all talking about environmental health long before Al Gore, but she’s not quite money material.
Government Employee? Yes
Political Rabble-Rouser? Borderline
Star Power: 6/10
Frances Perkins
Frances Perkins was the first U.S. Cabinet member and is still the longest-serving labor secretary in U.S. history. I may be biased here, but I drew Frances Perkins' name from a bowl for an 8th grade Women's History Month assignment and I quickly became frustrated with my luck. She did incredible work but on paper, her life story is a snooze. Would it have killed you to parachute out a plane or something, Frances? I can't write a report on someone who just wrote a bunch of legislation! Thanks for the social security, though, even if I'll probably never be able to use it.
Government Employee? Yes
Political Rabble-Rouser? Yes
Star Power: 3/10
Barbara Jordan
Isn't it weird to realize that "after reconstruction" still applied to the 1960s . . . and still applies to now? Barabara Jordan was the first African-American woman elected to the Texas senate—and the first African-American senator since 1883. She put up with a lot of bullshit from close-minded jerks and the effects of a debilitating illness while in office, making her accomplishments all the more incredible. She’s incredibly deserving of that $20, but unfortunately, she doesn’t have quite the name recognition of a lot of the other women on here. Maybe someday . . .
Political Rabble-Rouser? Yes
Government Employee? Yes
Star Power: 4/10
Shirley Chisholm
Shirley Chisholm’s congressional campaign slogan was “Unbought and unbossed,” and oh my God I want that on a T-shirt. At the apex of the Civil Rights Movement, Shirley ran for Congress in 1968 and you know what? She won. Shirley spent 15 years getting shit done on Capitol Hill, defining legislation that affected women, children, and families. On a public level, she was never afraid and never questioned her ability to do her job and do it well.
Government Employee? Yes
Political Rabble-Rouser? Yes
Star Power: 5/10
Margaret Sanger
Margaret Sanger coined the term “birth control” and devoted her adult life to advocating for family planning. While we will never stop thanking Margie for fighting for our right to govern our own bodies and baby-making, there's just one tiny problem: People still, a century later, get really grossed out about women's life-giving capabilities (seriously, just Google her name: at least half the results will likely be from anti-abortion groups that are still all bent out of shape about her). She was also a proponent of eugenics, a fact that casts her in a bit of a negative light in the 21st century. Sorry, Margie: You can go hang with Coco Chanel on the list of Amazing Females Who Weren't Perfect Enough For History Books.
Government Employee? No
Political Rabble-Rouser? Borderline
Star Power: 4.5/10
Clara Barton
Clara Barton, self-appointed Civil War nurse and creator of the American Red Cross, helped make surgery safe for us all. She's got the fame, but I’m not sure she was politically involved enough to merit monetary recognition. She’s close, though.
Government Employee? No
Political Rabble-Rouser? No
Star Power: 8/10
Elizabeth Cady Stanton
The friendlier face of the Suffragette movement, Elizabeth Cady Stanton got the gears of women's rights turning in the heads of countless American women in the mid-1800s. However, her name doesn’t quite have the same impact as that of her longtime compatriot Susan B. Anthony, even though they worked hand in hand for many years.
Government Employee? No
Political Rabble-Rouser? Oh yes
Star Power: 6.5/10
Sojourner Truth
Ugh, that quote of Sojourner’s they've got up on the site is just as moving and relevant as it was over 150 years ago. Someone call The Doctor, I wanna go back in time and give her a big ol' hug.
After escaping slavery, Sojourner spent her freedom speaking on not just abolition, but on women’s rights and overall human rights. Her work won her fame and respect in her time, which is especially impressive considering how much higher the stakes were for outspoken women of color back then. Sojourner has just the right balance of notoriety and mystery—people know her name and know that she's important, but typically don’t know much about her aside from "famous former slave." Sojourner's a sleeper hit.
Government Employee? No
Political Rabble-Rouser? Yes
Star Power: 7.5/10
Rosa Parks
In case you slept through 3rd grade social studies, Rosa Parks is famous for refusing to give up her seat to a white man on the bus . . . in the 1950s. In the South.
Rosa Parks’ single, simple act of defiance defined her for the rest of her life and set the pace for an entire movement. However, she was kinda one-and-done after that. While she was a high-ranking member of her local chapter of the NAACP, she never set out to be the face of the civil rights movement. Still, she was never ashamed of her actions and is one of the most enduring names on this list.
Political Rabble-Rouser? Yes
Government Employee? No
Star Power: 9/10
Harriet Tubman
You think you know Harriet Tubman, but you have no idea. A head injury as a child left Harriet with an odd wealth of courage, and as a result she took on the selfless, fearless task of sneaking countless slaves out of the Civil War south through her Underground Railroad, which ferried travelers through a network of safe houses until they reached safety in the north.
Everyone probably read a Harriet Tubman biography in their school days, but did you know she carried a gun on that Underground Railroad to deter people from turning back? Later, she worked as a Union spy, and was buried with military honors. Her life sounds like a superhero origin story, but it's totally true: Harriet Tubman's is a story that should never die.
Government Employee? Later in life, yes
Political Rabble-Rouser? Yes
Star Power: 9/10
Susan B. Anthony
Ah, good ol' Susie B. (I'll mention again that I used to work for an education company, and there were a handful of historical figures I encountered so often I made up nicknames for them . . . LYLAS, Susie B.). Susan B. Anthony and Rosa Parks are the first names that usually come to mind when people think of famous historical women, which makes her seem like a shoo-in. Then again, she already has a coin, and I won 25 of them as a prize in my 8th grade Women’s History essay-writing contest for my report on Amelia Earhart (which explains why I’ve devoted over 1,000 words to this post). Please don’t rob me; they have long since been spent.
Then again . . . cast a glance on her stern profile. Can you imagine how powerful it would be to have that disapproving, exasperated expression in everyone’s wallet, a not-so-subtle reminder that women still need basic rights? Even in death, that exasperated glower is still doing work.
Government Employee? No
Political Rabble-Rouser? Yes
Star Power: 10/10
Eleanor Roosevelt
Out of this long list of luminary women, Eleanor Roosevelt seems most poised to take her place among the ranks of those whose mugs are plastered on wrinkled bills. The first First Lady to strike out on her own, Eleanor ditched the photo ops and dinner parties for campaign strategy and true humanitarian work. Today, she's the gold standard by which all other First Ladies are measured. No more homemaking for them—now they're expected to take up a cause, all because of Overachievin' Eleanor.
Government Employee? Yes
Political Rabble-Rouser? No
Star Power: 8/10
WRITE-IN CANDIDATE:
Sally. Friggin'. Ride.
I shouldn’t need to tell you this, but Sally Ride was the first American woman in space. In her personal life, she was an incredible role model who led by example and met prejudice with firm facts. I can't think of another person I'd want to represent our country—in space or on our money.
Government Employee? Yes
Political Rabble-Rouser? No
Star Power: 8/10
*Why is Jackson getting the boot? Though he’s adored by a lot of people for being the Ron Swanson of presidents, he rallied against paper money during his presidency and was also the driving force behind the Indian Removal Act.
