During the daily press briefing on Monday (January 25), White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters that President Joe Biden is relaunching efforts to put Harriet Tubman on $20 bills.
The project was first launched in 2016 by then-President Barack Obama. Donald Trump, an out-loud fan of Andrew Jackson who currently sits on the bill, dissolved the project when he took office. At the time, Trump called the effort to honor the famous abolitionist “pure political correctness,” as reported by TMZ.
At the time, Trump’s Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said the new notes wouldn’t be released until 2028, and never mentioned they would have Harriet Tubman on them.
President Biden is undertaking the project so that the nation’s money “reflect[s] the history and diversity of our country,” according to the new Communications head.
The administration is working to get the process expedited, too.
Tubman, who was born into slavery, is most readily known for her unprecedented role in freeing enslaved African people from bondage, leading them through a network of escape routes to freedom. Tubman also served as a spy during the Civil War, and was an activist to get women the right to vote.
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