Why Harriet Tubman Belongs on the $20 Bill

Feb 22, 2023

The question of who represents the United States via their face on the nation鈥檚 paper currency came to head under the white supremacist leadership of former President Donald Trump. After it was decided that the great abolitionist and freedom fighter Harriet Tubman would grace the $20 bill, Trump . It has now been taken up by the . In a detailing the context of race and democracy that frames the reasons why Tubman and not, say, Andrew Jackson belongs on the bill, author takes us on a critically important historical tour.

Dr. Clarence Lusane is the former chair of Howard University鈥檚 Department of Political Science and the current director of its International Affairs program.聽He is an author, activist, scholar, lecturer, and journalist. For more than 40 years, he has written about and been active in national and international human rights, anti-racism politics, diaspora engagements, U.S. foreign policy, democracy building, and social justice issues. He spoke with 精东影业 Racial Justice Editor Sonali Kolhatkar on Rising Up With Sonali about his new book, .

The views expressed here and on Rising Up With Sonali do not necessarily reflect the opinion of 精东影业 Media.

Sonali Kolhatkar joined 精东影业 in summer 2021, building on a long and decorated career in broadcast and print journalism. She is an award-winning multimedia journalist, and host and creator of聽精东影业 Presents: Rising Up with Sonali, a nationally syndicated television and radio program airing on Free Speech TV and dozens of independent and community radio stations. She is also Senior Correspondent with the Independent Media Institute鈥檚 Economy for All project where she writes a weekly column. She is the author of聽Rising Up: The Power of Narrative in Pursuing Racial Justice聽(2023) and聽Bleeding Afghanistan: Washington, Warlords, and the Propaganda of Silence聽(2005). Her forthcoming book is called聽Talking About Abolition聽(Seven Stories Press, 2025). Sonali is co-director of the nonprofit group, Afghan Women鈥檚 Mission which she helped to co-found in 2000. She has a Master鈥檚 in Astronomy from the University of Hawai鈥檌, and two undergraduate degrees in Physics and Astronomy from the University of Texas at Austin. Sonali reflects on 鈥淢y Journey From Astrophysicist to Radio Host鈥� in her 2014聽聽of the same name.