For the first time since America began printing money, our paper bills will not all sport the grim faces of powerful white dudes.
Treasury Secretary Jack Lew announced today that there will be significant redesigns to the $5, $10, and $20 bills. The biggest news is probably that President Andrew Jackson is getting bumped off the front of the $20 bill in favor of Harriet Tubman.
OH HELLS TO THE YEAH! Let’s hear it for finally giving a place of honor to a Black woman who helped other Black people escape slavery! We can’t deny the stain of slavery on our history, so it’s about damn time to we all got to look at the face of arguably the greatest conductor on the Underground Railroad every time we hit up the ATM.
The back of the $5 bill will get some new images recognizing great moments in the US Civil Rights history. That goes nicely with the image of Lincoln that will be remaining on the front.
The $10 bill will also have a new back featuring figures from the women’s suffrage movement. Alexander Hamilton was slated to be taken off the front of the bill, but the blockbuster musical Hamilton has caused an upswell in his popularity and saved him from the chopping block. Turns out that when a Grammy- and Pulitzer-winning musical includes the lyrics “Ten dollar founding father,” people don’t want to change up the bill everyone is singing about.
You could probably look on the internet and find people whining about the changes, but I’m in too good a mood about seeing women and minorities on my money to go looking for bigots and their rainy damn parades.
The new bills will be designed by 2020.
