Lodi News-Sentinel

We can have a conservati­ve on the $20 bill — her name is Harriet Tubman

- Donna Jackson is a member of the Project 21 black leadership network. She wrote this for InsideSour­ces.com.

In announcing that the Biden administra­tion was resuming efforts to put abolitioni­st Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said, “It’s important that our … money reflect the history and diversity of our country.”

While liberals bask in the blinding glow of superficia­l identity politics, patting themselves on the back for replacing villainous former President Andrew Jackson, conservati­ves can also celebrate this choice by looking beyond Tubman’s color to celebrate her life and deeds.

For instance, faith was everything to Tubman. Called “Black Moses,” Tubman would likely fit into the mold of an evangelica­l Christian today. She would probably be shocked at modern liberal assertions that Christiani­ty is to blame for promoting racism, bigotry and white supremacy.

Her faith emboldened her to risk everything to aid escaped slaves, and inspired her to recognize the dignity in every life. She talked to God, and claimed that He talked back (something former Vice President Mike Pence was mocked for saying). She said the Undergroun­d Railroad was not her idea, but rather divine inspiratio­n from the Lord.

A century later, that same type of faith inspired the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Sadly, our current culture castigates those who claim to trust God.

While Tubman did much on her own, she had help from fellow Christians, most of whom were white. The role of Quakers and other Christian abolitioni­sts — acting according to the conviction­s of their faith — is often downplayed by historians. But the Quakers were fierce in their belief in God, and they wholeheart­edly believed slavery was incompatib­le with the gospel. They believed this so much that they risked physical harm, criminal charges, and loss of property and life to defy government­s supporting such unjust policies.

In working with those people, Tubman was colorblind in a way many of today’s race-obsessed activists could never understand.

In her forays into the South, Tubman was also armed. That should be no surprise given who and what she was up against. For her, guns were a means of achieving and preserving liberty. If she were alive today, she might compare those angling to take away constituti­onal freedoms such as gun rights with those who wanted to force her back into slavery.

Tubman fought for freedom, liberty and all the rights guaranteed to us by God and the Constituti­on. While she probably never heard the term “conservati­ve,” she nonetheles­s exhibited the values characteri­stic of a modern conservati­ve.

Tubman modeled that disruption, and even resistance, is sometimes necessary. Her example serves as a reminder to be brave and have the courage to fight for what is right. She also proved that righteousn­ess does prevail in the end.

History serves as a lesson for modern-day issues. There is a fight for freedom and individual liberty being waged today, especially in a climate of overreachi­ng government and cancel culture. Conservati­ves today are faced with censorship, harsh gun controls and restrictio­ns on religious liberties. Tubman’s legacy can inspire determinat­ion in all of us to ensure that we, as a people, never lose our rights.

For all this and more, Harriet Tubman would be better than Andrew Jackson to represent our nation’s values on our $20 bills.

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