Nearly two decades into the
21st Century, the phrase, “It’s not about race” is still nearly
always a dead giveaway that, whatever the topic du jour, it is virtually always all about race. I’ll be the first to admit that is not the
way it should be, or would be in a perfect world. Alas, we are not yet there.
Roughly two months ago,
April 20, 2016, Treasury Secretary Jacob (Jack) Lew announced, in an open
letter to the American people, that the newly redesigned $20 bill would feature
abolitionist Harriet Tubman on the front.
The $5 and $10 bills are also scheduled for redesign. The $10 note was due to be next in line,
because of the need for security upgrades.
However, as a result of an extensive 10-month survey and information
gathering process, the Secretary was persuaded to leap over the less used $10
bill and move to the $20, a highly used bill that is a staple in ATM’s.
Secretary Lew’s
determination to put Ms. Tubman on the next $20 bill was precipitated by an
overwhelming response from Americans to a poll conducted by the grassroots
group, Women on 20’s. Tubman was the
first choice over three other contenders, including civil rights icon Rosa
Parks, former First Lady and activist Eleanor Roosevelt, and Wilma Mankiller,
the first female Chief of the Cherokee Nation.
About his decision, Lew said:
“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.”
Harriet Tubman was a great
American shero. Her exploits as a
freedom fighter are legendary. Quite
naturally, she took her work quit seriously.
In framing the context in which she viewed the struggle, Tubman once
said:
“I would fight for liberty so
long as my strength lasted.”
Fight, she did. She fought to free slaves, and she fought for
women’s suffrage. Secretary Lew gleaned
through polling, cards and letters, and from his own research that Tubman’s
story was one of courage and commitment to equality; one that embodied the
ideals of democracy that our nation celebrates.
Through placing her portrait on the obverse side of the $20 bill, we
will honor her, and continue to value that legacy. The reverse side will still feature the White
House and the image of President Andrew Jackson. Lew noted that the Bureau of Engraving and
Printing would work closely with the Federal Reserve to speed up work on the
new currency. The goal is for all three
bills to go into circulation as soon as possible, consistent with security
requirements.
Well, that seems straight
forward enough. Hold up, wait a
minute! Just when it appeared that it
was possible for the federal government to work smoothly and efficiently to
execute the people’s business, we are slapped in the face with the all too
familiar reality of an intransigent and obstructionist elected politician. Representative Steve King, Iowa, recently
introduced an amendment to bar the Treasury Department from spending any funds
to redesign paper money or coin currency.
If this amendment were enacted, the Treasury Department’s plans to replace the image of Andrew Jackson
with that of Harriet Tubman on the face of the $20 bill would be scuttled. Representative King has not publicly
expressed a reason for putting forward the amendment. His office did not immediately respond to
CNN’s request for comment.
It is probably not news that
Ms. Tubman would be the first African American to appear on American
currency. While it is disappointing that
Congressman King has decided, for reasons he has yet to see fit to share, to
intervene and prevent the scheduled updating our currency, despite existing
security issues, I am also compelled to at least note the racial implications of his
action.
Am I accusing Representative
King of acting in a racist manner, or of having racist motivations? No, I am not.
I am merely using my powers of observation, which I surely hope are not
unique, and noting an apparent (at least to me) nexus between his action, and
its evident impact. National media have
reported news of his amendment. As such,
while you may not have heard about it, the information is implanted in the
public domain.
I noted in the very first
sentence of this post, there is a propensity to throw a stone and hide one’s
hand, when it comes to matters of race. But, as I stated then, the assertion
that “it’s not about race, is usually followed by a race-laden subject or
discussion.
I will not deign to
characterize the representative’s motives.
Instead, what I will do is point out a few of the individuals and
institutions that have gone on record as opposing the placement of Ms. Tubman’s
image on the $20. An abbreviated list
includes:
1. Donald Trump
2. Ben Carson
3. Fox News
4. Steve King
I’m sure there are others,
maybe many, most, likely denizens of the GOP.
For now, I will concentrate on those enumerated above. Each of them has invested considerable time,
energy, and in the case of the three men, political capital, opposing any and
everything even remotely associated with President Obama. Technically that does not include the Tubman
initiative, since contrary to the opinion of the typical recalcitrant Obama
hater; the decision-making regarding the currency was the purview of Secretary
Lew, not President Obama. But, since Lew
is an Obama appointee, I’ll play along and blame/credit the President for making the
call. Whatever!
At this point, if I were
engaged in a conversation about this matter, the other party or parties would
be offering a litany of thinly veiled-to-totally transparent excuses attempting
to defend the non-racial basis for this amendment. On a good day I would listen politely before
dismissing the excrement as the half-baked crapola that it is. On a not-so-good day…well, let’s just hope it
was a good day.
On this day, I’ve done my
job. I have elevated the topic so that
you may assess and evaluate for yourself.
I leave you with this thought…”It’sNever About Race; Or Is It?”
I’m done; holla back!
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