Designer Dano Wall took matters into his own hands after the release of the Harriet Tubman $20 bill was delayed.
What We Know:
- On Wednesday, May 22, Steven Mnuchin, Secretary of the US Treasury announced that the new $20 bill design would be postponed until 2028. Mnuchin advised that this was due to security concerns. Both Trump and Mnuchin have voiced their hesitations regarding the new design.
- Soon after this news was announced, Wall posted on Twitter his response. “We’ll see about that.” Wall had began making stamps with Harriet Tubman’s portrait on it back in 2017 right after Trump took office. The stamps were made using a 3-D printer and allows Wall to superimpose Tubman’s image over Andrew Jackson’s.
- Wall has been selling stamps to others so that they can begin stamping as many $20 bill as possible. “My goal is to get 5000 stamps out there. If there are 5000 people consistently stamping currency, we could get a significant percent of circulating $20 bills [with the Tubman] stamp, at which point it would be impossible to ignore.” Wall is already sold out and is working on making more.
- Wall’s reasoning for pushing the change is to reflect the changes the United States has gone through. “By putting her on the most popular note in circulation, indicates exactly what kind of life we choose to celebrate; what values we, as a country, most hope to emulate.” Wall also compares Jackson to Tubman in terms of who should be really honored. Jackson was a slave owner and was responsible for the 1830 Indian Removal Act. Whereas, Tubman is well know for being an political activist and her work on the Underground Railroad.
- According to the US Treasury guidelines, stamping over Jackson’s face will not cause the $20 bill to be considered mutilated. As long the denomination is legible on the bill then it is still suitable for use and circulation.
Wall’s stamps can be bought online or downloaded for free if you own a 3-D printer.
