In 2013, feminist campaigners led by Caroline Criado-Perez successfully convinced the Bank of England to feature author Jane Austen as the new face of £10 notes, which will be issued in 2017. Now, two years later, it looks like the US is going to follow in our footsteps.
The US Treasury Department has decided that the redesigned $10 note will feature an important historical woman, but has not yet decided which one. The note will be released in 2020 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of women being given the vote. The treasury is asking the public to suggest options, and wants to pick a ‘champion for our inclusive democracy’.
Currently, all US banknotes feature pictures of past political leaders - and all of those featured are male. The last woman to appear on the country’s paper currency was Martha Washington, wife of the first president of the United States. Her image was used on the $1 Silver Certificate more than a century ago.
In March, a campaign group held a competition to select a woman suitable to feature on the $20 note. Slavery abolitionist Harriet Tubman was the favourite, with civil rights activist Rosa Parks also being a popular choice.
If Tubman is chosen, she will be the first African American to feature on US currency since 1880.
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.