It’s hard to say what the year 2021 will hold other than the hope we can all soon forget about 2020. Personal feelings and politics aside, looking forward should bring an element of hope. For African Americans, what comes on our mail - and will soon be found in our wallets - may be a harbinger of that optimism....
Fences is a true-life account of a metaphoric fence, which divided the country leading up to the Civil War. Plantation slaves in the mid-1800s dreamed of freedom. One of them escaped to the northern states in 1849 to enjoy that freedom. She then returned to the south time after time to help free others. Her name was Araminta Ross but is better known by her married name, Harriet Tubman.
Tubman is legendary for helping free slaves as a “conductor” on the Underground Railroad. She once commented, “I can say what most conductors can’t…I never ran my train off the track and I never lost a passenger." One reason for that is that Tubman carried a pistol on her journeys to free those fleeing oppression. The gun was not only for self-protection but to dissuade any of those in her charge from turning back and jeopardizing the missions. She didn’t want anyone caught and was deadly serious when she stated, “…a dead fugitive slave could tell no tales."
To appease those who have complained about the parade of “old white men” appearing on US currency, Tubman has been selected as the first woman and first African American to be featured on US currency – in this case the ubiquitous $20 bill. Slave owner Andrew Jackson has held that prominent position on the “double sawbuck” for almost a century.
Tubman’s elevation onto the bill should be modified as the first woman to appear on “modern” currency. Historically, women have long been seen on US paper money starting with Martha Washington in 1886. Susan B. Anthony and Sacagawea were selected to be honored on our dollar coins. Plus, since the 1700s, the allegorical image of “Liberty” on US money has always been represented by the image of a woman. Black Americans have also previously appeared on currency including Booker T. Washington, George Washington Carver and many others.
As an example of the divisiveness seen in 2020, in a speech this past July famous musician/rapper Kanye West minimized the accomplishments of Tubman stating, she "never actually freed the slaves. She just had the slaves go work for other white people." The audible “gasp” from the mixed crowd indicated shock and disapproval of his comments.
There’s no question that, as a leader on the Underground Railroad, Tubman’s accomplishments were life-changing – so much so, a few white admirers even embellished her feats. One claimed she made 19 trips freeing over 300 slaves. Tubman corrected that saying it was closer to 13 trips freeing 70 slaves. Another “historian” stated Tubman had a $40,000 bounty on her head ($1.5 million in today’s dollars.) In truth, that bounty was $100 which included Tubman’s brothers.
None of that diminishes the fact that Harriet Tubman was a fierce fighter for freedom who risked her life on multiple trips into enemy territory to bring dozens of human beings to freedom. She died in 1913 in Auburn, NY.
Because anything connected with the government takes an absurd amount of time to be realized (e.g., the current second Stimulus Package), there’s no release date for the new Harriet Tubman $20 bills. Hopefully 2021. Or not. It's safe to say, when they are released their appearance will be as historically epic as some of what we experienced in 2020 – this time, in a more positive way. I’ll keep you posted about the pending release and collecting opportunities as the release grows near.
For more collecting advice, visit www.peterexford.blogspot.com