LIFE

Be Inspired with Raquel | Idea is right on the money

Raquel Eatmon
News Journal columnist

Honestly, I didn’t give it a second thought. I didn’t know there was another option.

Like a lot of people, I have been conditioned to see it one way. No questions asked and no idea that it would or even could change. I didn’t think to challenge the status quo, but thank goodness someone else did.

I’m ready to see a change with my money. While it would be nice to see more cash, that’s not the type of change I’m talking about here. I ready to see an actual change on our printed bills — and I’m not the only one.

Today, it’s the most popular question being asked of Jack Lew, the nation’s treasury secretary: When will a woman appear on the $20 bill? The movement is gaining ground as groups push to replace Andrew Jackson on the $20 with the face of a woman.

A non-profit called Women on 20s is leading a compelling campaign to make a woman front and center on the $20 bill by the year 2020. The public is weighing in and casting votes on their favorite female leader. Women on 20s’ short list includes Eleanor Roosevelt, Betty Friedan, Harriet Tubman and Rosa Parks.

Seeing the mock-up designs on the Internet stirred up a lot of excitement as well as emotion for me. I believe this is a good, smart, gutsy move. Girls and women need more signs of positive women. We need more images of clothed, brilliant women who tied their voices to positive change. We need to be reminded of the trailblazers that pushed for tough causes and didn’t stop when others tried to silence or shun them.

There are many strong, notable women who have led scores of people, both men and women, toward social justice, reform and freedom. We should honor these women and giving them some face time on our currency is just one way to do it.

This movement is a wonderful teaching tool, not just about history but also about possibility.

As I previously mentioned, it wasn’t on my radar. As a woman who works to empower others, it never registered to me that a woman could be on the 20. I thought the faces on our money would always be the same because that’s how it’s always been. I did not dream that a woman could have a spot.

Like you, I’ve seen all the magazines headlined with gorgeous, perfect looking airbrushed women. We’re used to seeing women on such display. This campaign reminds me to think of equality in ever corner of the world. From wages to the White House to the currency, women deserve fair pay, fair treatment and consideration for high rankings.

Lew was recently interviewed by a CNN correspondent and asked if and when this monumental change will happen, he said, “We’ve been looking at a whole range of issues about how to modernize our currency.”

“I’m not going to make any announcement today. But we’re looking at a lot of interesting things.” Lew said.

I don’t know if it will happen, but the possibility and the challenge makes up a very inspiring American story and it reminds me to wake up and seek change. It tells us all that things can change- even if it appears to be a tightly locked tradition. Change is possible.