Rosa Parks was a radical, lifelong black liberation activist, not a "meek seamstress"

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Nor was she the first black woman to be arrested for refusing to give up her seat. Which of course does not diminish her bravery or dedication in any way, but we shouldn’t forget all the others who were part of that fight as well.

My new favorite account of that incident is the “Drunk History” episode on Claudette Colvin and Rosa Parks.

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If this occurred in my home town, I’d fight it. But I don’t live in the usa and I’m afraid of Americans.

I’ve never understood why the people behind it preferred the “shit just happens” narrative to become the history, rather than “lots of NAACP people worked really hard, found a brave volunteer for the test case, and then worked even harder”. I guess they didn’t want to be seen as manipulative. But it was 60 years ago! On History Day at my daughter’s school an African-American kid was telling me why he chose Parks for his project. And all he knew was the “she was tired” story. It’s like saying the American Revolution was just about some guys mad about expensive tea. Oh, wait…

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Got Washington on the dollar, and Rosa Parks belongs on the dime. Since that was bus fare at the time.

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Roosevelt was linked with the March of Dimes campaign, and so he’s memorialized on the dime.

Likewise the mint had a hard time shifting away from Lincoln’s traditional place on the one cent coin in 1959 when they moved away from the wheat back design by Victor David Brenner, and again recently when they moved to the shield design on the reverse.

The closest we have to real justice is Susan B. Anthony on a very limited run of dollar coins. She and Sacagawea are cool, but I think we can do better overall.

Isn’t there a movement to put a woman on the $20? I nominate Frances Willard.

eta - @Mindysan33 could check in here!

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I nominate Sally Ride.

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Good one! I’m open to lots of women on money…personally I’m a fan (of women).

How about Madeleine Albright? (Too political? Leslie Knope is better?)

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ME TOO!! :wink:

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The Butcher of Kosovo? The toad-faced warmonger? The… politician? Please noooo!

Scientist, researcher, engineer, doctor… any of either. There should be enough to not have to touch the cesspool of politicians for centuries.

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It’s fine to snip, but you should recommend a better path.

One of the possible lists of candidates:

I don’t know enough about individual names to be able to narrow it down. But as long as it is hard or at least semihard science (math, physics, chemistry, biology, medicine, something along those lines), the harder the better, I’d be happy.

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Amelia Earhart would be a good example.

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I prefer the lab dweller species, but in absence of those on the roster I’d vote for her.

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Like Karen Wetterhahn, perhaps?

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Works for me, definitely works for me!

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My personal theory is that, for a lot of people, it feels much more confortable to imagine the Civil Rights movement (along with others) to have started because “the time was right” or some other nonsense.
The alternative would be to accept that fighting for your rights, fighting to improve your life is valid. I believe that some people feel that this is dangerously close to condone unions and the like.

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They did. I was all about tubman, who won the vote. But they’re changing the 10 instead.

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They only put dead people on our money. I’m not a huge fan of Albright on their either. Avoiding politicians is a great idea. I’m all for activists on our money.

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