The family of Harriet Tubman is frustrated with the government's inability to execute a promise that was made years ago to honor the abolitionist. Michele Jones Galvin, Tubman’s great-great-great-grand-niece, said she is still waiting to see progress after the family was told that the activist would replace former President Andrew Jackson on the $20 bill.
“Our family has three nonagenarians — women in their '90s,” Galvin told Spectrum News. “When this was talked about right out of the gate in the Biden administration, they thought it would happen in their lifetime. We are hoping that is done.”
The plan was initially announced in 2016, when then Treasury Secretary Jack Lew wrote an open letter saying the U.S. currency will feature the portrait of a woman for the first time ever.
"The decision to put Harriet Tubman on the new $20 was driven by thousands of responses we received from Americans young and old," Lew wrote. "I have been particularly struck by the many comments and reactions from children for whom Harriet Tubman is not just a historical figure, but a role model for leadership and participation in our democracy."
Five years later, there is still no change on the $20 bill. Former President Donald Trump failed to move the plan forward during his term.
“Well, Andrew Jackson had a great history, and I think it’s very rough when you take somebody off the bill,” Trump said while he was running for office, according to CNN. “I think Harriet Tubman is fantastic, but I would love to leave Andrew Jackson or see if we can maybe come up with another denomination.”
According to Spectrum News, then Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin provided another update in 2020, saying a new $20 bill would not be released until at least 2030.
“I’m not going to comment on it because, as I’ve said, it’s not going to be my decision,” Mnuchin added. “It’s going to be a treasury secretary’s decision in the future.”
But the Biden administration said in January that it would look into ways to accelerate the process.
“The Treasury Department is taking steps to resume efforts to put Harriet Tubman on the front of the new $20 notes,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said at a press briefing, according to Spectrum News. “It’s important that our money reflect the history and diversity of our country.”
Galvin, however, said there is still no progress.
“Biden has offered to put that into process and it has not happened,” Galvin said. “The family is really disappointed with it. We don’t know what’s taking the time.”
A spokesperson for the Bureau of Engraving and Printing said the expected release date for the bill is still 2030.
“The primary reason currency is redesigned is for security against counterfeiting; the redesign timeline is driven by security feature development and the sequence for the denominations is driven by current and potential security threats,” the spokesperson told Spectrum News. “The currency design process is complex and significant testing is required for the notes to be production ready.”
Tubman died in 1913 at around the age of 93. After escaping slavery in the South, she led hundreds of others to freedom as a “conductor” of the Underground Railroad. Tubman also dedicated her life to fighting for women's right to vote.
