Women On 20s aims to compel historic change by convincing President Obama that NOW is the time to put a woman's face on our paper currency. But who should it be? We believe that's for you, the public, to decide from a slate of 15 inspiring American women heroes. Welcome to the voting booth. Here you may learn things about the candidates you never knew and get your questions answered about the whys and hows of our game plan. We believe this simple, symbolic and long-overdue change could be an important stepping stone for other initiatives promoting gender equality. Our money does say something about us, about what we value. So together, let’s make our money egalitarian and inclusive!
Alice Paul (1885 - 1977) Fierce crusader, hunger striker and strategist whose 10-year campaign led to women's right to vote. A lawyer and social worker, for 50 years she headed the National Women's Party, fighting for an equal rights amendment.
Betty Friedan (1921 - 2006) Her book, The Feminine Mystique, is credited with sparking the second wave of American feminism. Founder and first president of the National Organization for Women (NOW), she organized the nationwide "Women's Strike for Equality" on 50th anniversary of women's suffrage.
Shirley Chisholm (1924 - 2005) First African-American woman elected to Congress and first majority-party black candidate for U.S. President. Advocated for minorities, women and children. Changed public perception of the capabilities of women and African-Americans.
Sojourner Truth (c.1797 - 1883) Born into slavery and escaped into freedom, she sued a white man to recover her son. Illiterate, she traveled widely, speaking for abolition and women's rights. Counseled freed slaves & tried unsuccessfully to get them federal land grants.
Rachel Carson (1907 - 1964) Her work and groundbreaking books in the 1950s & '60s spurred the modern American environmental movement. A trained zoologist, her book Silent Spring exposed the dangers of pesticide use, leading to a DDT ban and creation of the Environmental Protection Agency.
Rosa Parks (1913 - 2005) Saluted by Congress as the “first lady of civil rights,” she challenged racial segregation by refusing to give up her bus seat to a white man. Her arrest, and the ensuing Montgomery bus boycott, became symbols in the struggle for racial equality and civil rights in the United States.
Barbara Jordan (1936 - 1996) First African American elected to Texas Senate after reconstruction and first black woman from deep South elected to US House of Representatives. First black woman to deliver keynote at Democratic National Convention.
Margaret Sanger (1879 - 1966) Popularized term “birth control” and opened the first U.S. birth control clinic. Arrested and tried for disseminating information on contraception. Helped in court cases leading to legalization of contraception in the United States. Pioneered Planned Parenthood.
Patsy Mink (1927 - 2002) First woman of color elected to the U.S. House of Representatives and first Asian-American in Congress. Largely responsible for passage of Title IX bill ending sex discrimination in education, including in athletics.
Clara Barton (1821 - 1912) Pioneering nurse who first brought medical care to the front lines during the Civil War. She earned the nickname "the angel of the battlefield." Coordinated national effort to locate Civil War soldiers missing in action. Founded the American Red Cross.
Harriet Tubman (c.1822 - 1913) Born a slave, she fled North to freedom, later making 19 trips back to the South as an Underground Railroad conductor, leading some 300 slaves to freedom. A nurse during the Civil War, she served the Union army as a scout and spy. She was active in the women's suffrage movement after the war.
Frances Perkins (1880 - 1965) FDR's four-term labor secretary, she was the first woman cabinet member in US history. Introduced the Social Security Act, Civilian Conservation Corps, Public Works Administration, minimum wage, 40-hour workweek and laws against child labor.
Susan B. Anthony (1820 - 1906) A leader in both the abolition & suffrage movements. In a 50-year partnership with Elizabeth Cady Stanton, she established organizations, petition drives and publications, while campaigning widely for passage of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution giving women the vote.
Eleanor Roosevelt (1884 - 1962) Redefined the role of First Lady. Used her newspaper column, radio and speeches to champion civil and women's rights, often in opposition to her husband FDR’s policies. As a UN delegate and “First Lady of the World,” she drafted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Elizabeth Cady Stanton (1815 - 1902) Called the “founding genius” of the women's rights movement. She convened the 1848 Seneca Falls Convention, declaring, "We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men and women are created equal," inspiring a generation of suffragists.
None of the above.....if they had time to get their picture taken, they evidently weren't in the kitchen doing their jobs so don't deserve to be on the money.
<uhhh...yeh, I AM running for my life just as soon as I get this flame suit zipped up ....beside, none of yer wives are THAT good a shot to hit me all the way up here in kaNUTa >
I don't really like for them to permanently change bills... but it's not like things haven't changed before over the decades.
I wouldn't mind seeing Sojourner Truth or Harriett Tubman.
I might get a lot of flack for this... nothing against Rosa Parks, but all she did was refuse to get up off a seat in a city bus. They use her defiance as a symbolism... but Truth and Tubman did significantly more.
Margaret Sanger? I'm shocked she's even in that list... regardless of how you feel about abortion, she is basically the "mother" of Eugenics that basically forcibly tube-tied black women and prostitutes. Her goal was to eradicate blacks.
As far as I'm concerned, the people honored on American paper currency should only be our Founding Fathers and presidents long since passed away.
In regards to coinage, I think a woman would be perfectly fine being honored this way but again, they would have to be long since dead and have their lifetime of works stand the test of time to have this honor. Otherwise we stand the risk of having someone on our currency who's 'politically correct' with the current administration or simply popular with the masses.
Can anyone here really imagine Margaret Sanger or Barbra Streisand (after she passes) on any of our currency?
[This message has been edited by otakudude (edited 03-19-2015).]
As long as it's not the 10 spot, I don't really care. Even though Hamilton was not a President of the United States, it's just so convenient when people ask me how to spell my last name to say "Just like the ten dollar bill".
[This message has been edited by Khw (edited 03-19-2015).]
He did clear many native Americans out of the southeast, making their lands available to immigrants (white settlers). He also defied the Supreme Court. This all sounds too familiar.
[This message has been edited by spark1 (edited 03-19-2015).]
Susan B Anthony was already on a coin. Does that rule her out? I guess not...
Out of that list, I'd pick Roosevelt or Tubman. But honestly, I don't really care whose likeness is on the paper currency. It could be Captain Kangaroo, for all I care.
Afaic none of the listed candidates accomplishments are as valuable to our country as what President Jackson accomplished when he freed the US from the central banks for several decades....not to even mention his other polital/military service. Some of the women listed are certainly deserving of recognition but not to the extent of removing President Jackson.
I don't like changing the currency just for some equal rights appeasement. Why should Andrew Jackson be removed from the $20? There are many people worthy of recognition that aren't recognized on currency simply because there are only so many types in circulation. Why not follow the Presidential Gold Dollar series with a Women in History series and recognize many important women rather than just one?
None of the above.....if they had time to get their picture taken, they evidently weren't in the kitchen doing their jobs so don't deserve to be on the money.
<uhhh...yeh, I AM running for my life just as soon as I get this flame suit zipped up ....beside, none of yer wives are THAT good a shot to hit me all the way up here in kaNUTa >
Mine Is, run dude, run for your life as fast and far as you can !
Steve
------------------ Technology is great when it works, and one big pain in the ass when it doesn't
As far as I'm concerned, the people honored on American paper currency should only be our Founding Fathers and presidents long since passed away.
In regards to coinage, I think a woman would be perfectly fine being honored this way but again, they would have to be long since dead and have their lifetime of works stand the test of time to have this honor. Otherwise we stand the risk of having someone on our currency who's 'politically correct' with the current administration or simply popular with the masses.
I have to agree with this. I would add, the thing about replacing someone currently on a bill, is it sort of seems to mean we dont care what that person did anymore.
The S.B Anthony dollar coin was a flop. The size of a quarter and not a favorite denomination coin. I'd get them for a quarter in change. Michelle Obama for a $3 bill would be a good idea. A phony bill for another phony woman.
"Have some biscuits."
