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Who should we put on the $20?

There’s a distinct possibility that Andrew Jackson will not adorn our $20 bills much longer.

6-25 Page 4A.inddThere’s a movement afoot to remove his image from this bill and replace it with that of an American woman who has made a difference in our world.

There’s a website you may visit to view the list of women being considered, with information about their accomplishments, and then you can choose your three favorites, vote and send it in online.

The woman who receives the most votes will be recommended for the Jackson replacement. The decision to follow through on this lies with the powers-that-be.

It would be a symbol of equality for women in America for this to happen. Although American women make up 50.8 percent of the total population, only 20 percent are elected to represent the whole.

If you want to participate in the selection, go to www.womenon20s.org and make your choices.

When I went to the website to read about these women and their accomplishments, it made it more challenging to decide who the top three are.

To be honest, I was only vaguely familiar with some of the names and certainly didn’t know as much as I thought I did about others.

Included on this list are: Frances Perkins, Harriet Tubman, Eleanor Roosevelt, Alice Paul, Rosa Parks, Barbara Jordan, Patsy Mink, Rachel Carson, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, Margaret Sanger, Betty Friedan, Clara Barton, Shirley Chisholm and Sojourner Truth.

Recently added to the list was Wilma Mankiller, the female Cherokee chief.

You probably learned in American history the name of Frances Perkins, FDR’s Secretary of Labor. But did you know she introduced the Social Security Act, Civilian Conservation Corps, Public Works Administration, minimum wage, 40-hour work week and laws against child labor?

Impressive? Yes. Humbling? Yes. All of these endeavors became reality despite enormous opposition.

And without the women who came before Perkins who worked for women’s right to vote, Perkins could never have held the position of Secretary of Labor.

All of these women are stepping stones to where we are now and to where we are going.

None of them started a war, killed anybody that we know of, or threw others under the bus. Some made great sacrifices and took real risks for what they believed to be right. Rosa Parks wouldn’t give up her seat on the bus. It revolutionized the country.

Sojourner Truth was born into slavery, but escaped. She couldn’t read or write, but she worked as a dedicated abolitionist and sued through the courts to reclaim her son from a white man.

Sounds simple enough, doesn’t it? Think about all the things we take for granted now.

It hasn’t been that long ago when women couldn’t own property, men could legally beat their wives and children worked in sweatshops at the age of four. Inconceivable to us, isn’t it? But it happened.

Andrew Jackson violated a Supreme Court ruling and marched the Cherokee to Oklahoma. But his picture is on the $20 bill. Any one of the women considered to replace him deserves to be there. Vote.