University of Idaho students and Latah County residents have noticed unusual twenties with Harriet Tubman replacing Andrew Jackson in trees, benches, and on the ground. These altered bills are part of an initiative by the Human Art Tribe, a group of United States citizens fighting for historical figure Harriet Tubman to be permanently printed on real $20 bills.
“Our mission is to raise awareness of Harriet Tubman’s heroism in contrast with Andrew Jackson’s racism, and to put pressure on the US treasury to do the right thing by replacing Jackson with Tubman as quickly as possible,” a Human Art Tribe (HAT) spokesperson said. “The project was conceived when news broke that the real Tubman Twenty would be delayed from 2020 to 2028.” They launched their website recently, just a month ago.
The project involves people ordering mass amounts of Tubman20s, created by an anonymous artist, and spreading the bills around their communities. The bills feature artwork of Tubman and other significant imagery and directs citizens to the project’s website and petition.
“Using money as the literature is effective because people want to pick it up…they think it’s money,” said the HAT member. “Some pick it up and are disappointed when it’s not a real twenty, but others have posted videos on social media saying…it was better than a real twenty.”
While there may be initial disappointment once people figure out what the twenties are, further reactions have varied.
“We’ve seen responses all across the spectrum. Most people love it. Some are excited enough about the project to buy bills themselves from our website…Others have posted pictures of themselves burning the bill with a confederate flag,” HAT spokesperson said.
With the Trump administration departing the White House this coming year, HAT feels they have a better shot at accomplishing their goals. They will continue to collect signatures on petitions and present them to the new president and treasury secretary next year.
“We had more than 200 activists in almost every state dropping bills…they’re being dropped and found in museums, landmarks, parking lots, airports, beaches, colleges, department stores, etc. Pretty much everywhere,” HAT spokesperson said.
Although the project initially focused on major cities, bills have spread even to small towns as more people are inspired to purchase and distribute Tubman20s.
With the recent surge of racial tension and interest in social justice in America, the mission of HAT is extremely relevant.
The source mentioned wishes to remain anonymous. Visit tubman20.com for more information.
Esther David can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @Esther_David_