(dpa/TBI Africa.com) A redesign of the U.S. 20-dollar bill that will replace the image of a 19th-century slave-owning president with that of an American abolitionist is being postponed until at least 2028.
The redesigned bills are to feature Harriet Tubman, making her the first woman and the first African American to have her image on paper currency.
The update was announced in 2016 by the Obama administration as a way to feature more gender and racial diversity.
Tubman, born into slavery in Maryland, was known for setting up the so-called Underground Railroad, a network of secret routes and safe houses helping black people flee slavery.
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin announced the delay on Wednesday while answering questions about the currency restructuring during testimony before the House Financial Services Committee.
The delay means the new bill will not be unveiled to coincide with next year’s 100th anniversary of the amendment that granted women the right to vote.
Mnuchin said that the main reason behind redesigning the currency was to avoid counterfeiting issues.
New security features will meet the 2020 deadline, but the change to feature Tubman will not, he said.
Tubman’s image is to replace that of president Andrew Jackson, who served eight years in office from 1829.
Jackson opposed the abolitionist movement and also signed a law that forced the relocation of native American tribes out of the southern U.S. states into territory west of the Mississippi River.
President Donald Trump, an admirer of Jackson, said during the presidential campaign the decision to put Tubman on the currency was “pure political correctness.”
