Rosa Parks: The New Face Of U.S. $20 Bill?
DETROIT (WWJ) - Could we soon see Civil Rights icon Rosa Parks on the United States $20 bill?
The former Detroiter has made the finals in a grassroots campaign to put a woman on the $20 bill by the year 2020, the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment that granted women the right to vote.
When the voting is complete, the non-profit group "Women On 20s" will present its vote to the U.S. Treasury Department. Spokesperson Barbara Ortiz-Howard said the group has gotten a boost from President Barack Obama, who has said he'd like to see a woman on a bill.
"We said we didn't need the petition anymore and we just pursued it as 'Well, let's get everybody to vote on the candidate.' So, we think that the President will be very amenable and listen to the voice of the people," Ortiz-Howard told WWJ's Sandra McNeill.
The other finalists include Harriet Tubman, Former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and Cherokee Nation Chief Wilma Mankiller.
Ortiz-Howard said it's about time for a woman to appear on a bill.
"It's probably very similar to how we stack up in not having a woman lead our country, but there are other countries -- India, England, Canada, Australia, New Zealand -- that do have women represented on their currency," she said.
Voting is now open online at www.womenon20s.org. It's not yet clear when a winner will be announced.