Mark Parent
Opinions Editor

Last summer, Secretary of the Treasury Jack Lew announced that a woman would be replacing Alexander Hamilton on the ten-dollar bill.

This decision, however, was not made on a whim. Instead, it was the result of an extensive public movement, initiated by the group, “Women on 20s.”

Originally, the group was focused on replacing Andrew Jackson on the $20 bill; but for some reason, that goal went unfulfilled — I think wrongly. And on top of that, Sec. Lew chose to delay the final decision on who should take Hamilton’s place until later this year; hopefully, he keeps his word this time.

But this article isn’t about Jack Lew, Alexander Hamilton or even Andrew Jackson; instead, it’s about two of the women who are strong contenders to replace Hamilton on the ten-dollar bill: Harriet Tubman and Rosa Parks.

In fact, “Women on 20s” is actively pushing for Harriet Tubman to be the replacement after she won an online contest featuring 16 of the most consequential women in American history.

Also featured within that group of 16 were three other African-American women: Rosa Parks, Barbara Jordan and Sojourner Truth; Rosa Parks was also named as one of the four finalists in the contest.

With that being said, can we, just for a moment, revel in the fact that two African-American women stand an excellent chance at being placed on our nation’s currency?

2It’s a truly amazing development that would have been unthinkable only a few decades ago, despite Tubman and Parks’ hallowed place in our history.

But what I find most amazing about these two women is their ultimately “American” story. By this, I mean, both Harriet Tubman and Rosa Parks represented the bottom of American society and, through the strength of their convictions and unrelenting effort, transformed the world.

Harriet Tubman, for instance, was born a slave in Maryland, escaped to the free state of Pennsylvania and used that knowledge to help numerous other groups of slaves reach free soil.

She was, in a sense, the savior of scores of men, women and children.

And, given the truly abhorrent nature of Southern slavery, Tubman’s actions on the Underground Railroad provided real hope to people living in an often-hopeless situation.

Put simply, Tubman’s legacy is truly remarkable in that she selflessly surrendered her own safety in Philadelphia in order to give others a chance to fulfill their dream of freedom.

Of course, Tubman is not the only African-American woman who helped others achieve a chance at freedom; instead, that distinction belongs to countless other African-Americans — some of whom have been lost to history. Nevertheless, one woman undeniably meets that profile: Rosa Parks.

As all of us know, Parks ignited the Civil Rights Movement in 1955 by refusing to give up her seat on a bus to a white passenger.

For this to happen in the Jim Crow South — and in Alabama, of all places — is astounding.

It really did take a deep sense of selflessness, conviction and an unwavering devotion to the cause of freedom and equality to willfully engage in an act of protestation that would lead to a period of intense and unyielding scrutiny.

I must say, as a white student, the heroism of Parks and Tubman is hard to quantify. As I walk around campus, I can’t even imagine that segregation and slavery existed — it’s all just so horrifyingly immoral and nonsensical.

Then again, my view was far from the predominant one when Parks and Tubman stood up for what was right in Alabama and Maryland.

So, on behalf of the entire staff of The Carolinian, let me say that it is due to the actions of Tubman, Parks, King, Lewis and so many others that our society was able to recognize the utter stupidity of racism and take steps to right our past wrongs.

Now, I’m aware that there are many issues still plaguing race relations in America — especially between the white and African American communities.

But with that being said, we all shouldn’t turn this very special month of remembrance into some political football. Instead, we should be thankful for the many African Americans who have singlehandedly — and often against all odds — changed the history of the world.

And then, after giving due respect to these Americans, we should permanently memorialize either Rosa Parks or Harriet Tubman on our nation’s currency.

After all, the American people should be reminded of their heroic actions every single day. And maybe, just maybe, their selfless heroism will rub off on some of us.