rosa parks

The group Women on 20s has been advocating for a woman to be put onto the $20 bill. The four finalists are Rosa Parks, Harriet Tubman, Eleanor Roosevelt and Wilma Mankiller.

“We believe this simple, symbolic and long-overdue change could be an important stepping stone for other initiatives promoting gender equality. Our money does say something about us, about what we value,” the group says on its website.

The gesture is important, but would Parks or Tubman want to be put on currency? Both women fought against the capitalist system — slavery, Jim Crow and institutionalized racism go hand-in-hand with American capitalism. Being put on the $20 bill may recognize them as valuable women in American history, but it may not do justice to their legacies as radical change agents.

Photo: Women on 20s