Ladies Rejoice! Finally An Old White Dude Won’t Be On $10 Bill

When I think back to middle school history class, the one thing that sticks out in my head is that we learned about a bunch of Old White Dudes, with the exception of Black History Month. Now, I realize this country loves its Old White Dudes. We see them everywhere, but especially in our currency. I always wanted to know how women got to be such a driving force in today’s world. It wasn’t until high school that I learned about Susan B. Anthony, Eleanor Roosevelt, Harriet Tubman and all of the women who paved the way for us ladies. Why were they never nationally recognized in a way that would forever immortalize them?

Well, Darlings, I come bearing fantastic news: Treasury Secretary Jacob J. Lew announced Thursday that a woman will take her rightful place on U.S. currency, specifically the $10 bill. The era of Alexander Hamilton has left and the dawn of recognized girl power has begun. All I have to say is: It’s about time.

Woman have been doing incredible things in the U.S. for decades. Probably longer, but again, history typically likes to toot the horns of Old White Dudes. Susan B. Anthony was one of the driving forces to the Woman’s Suffrage Movement; Harriet Tubman saved hundreds, if not thousands, of slaves through the Underground Railroad; and don’t even get me started on modern wonder women like #NotoriousRBG. Here’s the thing, though: These women, unlike a lot of Old White Dudes, didn’t do the things they did for the recognition. They had a belief that life could be better for generations after them, and they never looked back. They made it so women like us had the choice to do whatever we wanted to do instead of following a pre-determined prophecy.

It’s time that we celebrate them, and putting one of them on the $10 bill is the first step. While it seems small and obsolete, we are finally breaking the pattern of just recognizing Old White Dudes and immortalizing women who rarely get their time in the spotlight. Probably one of the best things about this process is that our voices will be taken into account when deciding which woman warrior to put on the new bill with, of course, a new hashtag, #TheNewTen (though most people are using it to show their desire to instead get rid of Andrew Jackson from the $20 bill). The U.S. Treasury Department will be taking suggestions all summer long and will announce their decision sometime in the fall.

While this new bill won’t be released until 2020, we are making so many strides in the right direction. With a new era for women empowerment and progression on the horizon, it’s clear that Girl Power is here to stay.