One hundred years after gaining the right to vote, women will earn the honor of appearing on paper currency. The U.S. Treasury has announced that a portrait of a woman will grace the $10 bill starting in 2020, commemorating the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment. The selection of the female honoree will be left up to a man, Treasury Secretary Jacob J. Lew, who will disclose his selection of a woman “who was a champion for our inclusive democracy” by the end of the year.
There have been murmurs of putting women on paper money for a while now. Last summer, President Obama endorsed the idea, which came to him via a letter from a young girl, and earlier this year, New Hampshire senator Jeanne Shaheen recommended that the treasury “convene a panel of citizens” to debate which woman should replace Andrew Jackson — the generally favored candidate for removal — on the $20. According to a poll conducted by the grassroots campaign Women on 20s, most people think the honor should go to Harriet Tubman, Eleanor Roosevelt, or Rosa Parks. Under the current law, only dead people are eligible to appear on currency — so, sadly, it cannot be Nicki Minaj.