Harriet Tubman on $20 bill symbolizes a new era (Speeding the Process)
It's clear after his first week in office that President Joe Biden's leadership marks a new era, one in which the White House intends to be the disruptor of what's always been, to forge national consensus around confronting systemic racism, making that -- as he put it Tuesday -- one of "the core values of this nation." Biden's laser focus on racial justice represents the most sustained presidential focus on race matters that America has ever seen, at least since Reconstruction or Lyndon Johnson's Great Society. Peniel Joseph Peniel Joseph Biden's set an important tone for the entire federal government's approach to racial equity Tuesday, when he signed four executive orders promoting racial equity in housing (a reversal of the previous administration's stance on efforts to root out systemic racism in federal housing policies), ending the federal use of private prisons, "reaffirming the federal government's commitment to tribal sovereignty and consultation" with Native American and indigenous communities and combating racism and xenophobia directed toward Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. In many ways these represent his first major policy steps as president: to confront the roots of America's national crisis over racial injustice. There is perhaps no greater symbol in these early days of Biden's administration than Harriet Tubman, the former enslaved Black woman turned abolitionist who led hundreds of Blacks to freedom by way of the Underground Railroad. White House press secretary Jen Psaki announced Tuesday the administration's intention to speed up plans to have Tubman's image grace $20 US Treasury notes. Why Harriet Tubman isn't on the $20 bill yet (2020) Why Harriet Tubman isn't on the $20 bill yet (2020) 03:44 This is extraordinary, and on the heels of the Biden administration's promotion of racial equity via executive orders, proves to be both symbolic and substantive. Representation matters. Biden has named more people of color to his cabinet than any chief executive in American history. Black women power in the Biden administration, from Vice President Kamala Harris to domestic policy adviser Susan Rice and many others; it's a long overdue reflection of Black women's national organizing and voter mobilization power (that proved key to the president's successful campaign and the Democratic Party regaining control of the US Senate). Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill is more than a timely act of symbolism by a president who owes Black voters. It represents a much needed acknowledgement of the way in which racial slavery helped to create the wealth of this nation and much of the world. Tubman represents my 81-year-old Haitian mother -- and all of the Black women who tended marginalized communities -- like gardens in the face of unspeakable systems of oppression and personal acts of cruelty. Rice told reporters Tuesday that Biden planned an "ambitious" effort to address racial inequality and support "communities that have been left behind." Biden himself spoke candidly of his motivations, citing George Floyd's death as "marking a turning point in this country's attitude towards racial justice" and calling "the devastation in communities of color" wrought by Covid-19 "nothing short of stunning." Biden's embrace of racial justice, in symbolism and substance, contrasts sharply with the Trump administration's efforts to roll back the clock on longstanding efforts to ensure racial equity in the federal government. White House Senior Adviser: Biden wants to work with Congress make his Executive Orders lasting law White House Senior Adviser: Biden wants to work with Congress make his Executive Orders lasting law 04:05 Biden's remarks capped the first week of an administration already modeling the importance of both policy substance and political symbolism in the promotion of racial justice in America. Symbols of Black dignity and citizenship were on full display during the inaugural festivities, encapsulated by the soaring and unabashedly optimistic poetry of Amanda Gorman, the 22-year-old Black youth poet laureate whose rendering of "The Hill We Climb" provoked and inspired so many. These latest executive orders built on one of Biden's very first actions in office: an executive order focused specifically on fighting systemic racism across multiple layers of government. His executive order "Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government" represented an effort to do more than roll back the A New Podcast Series 🎬 "Smoking The Truth" 💨 hosted by @orlando_flow & @kingozzofficial ! Follow for more content! 📲📲 #podcast #podcasts #podcasting #radio #music #podcaster #podcastlife #hiphop #youtube #love #comedy #entrepreneur #art #podcasters #rap #podcastshow #s #podcastersofinstagram #media #motivation #nyc #dj #radioshow #repost #movies #bhfyp
