The late Wilma Mankiller was the first woman elected to the position of principal chief of the Cherokee Nation. Photo from All Things Cherokee
Columnist calls for the late Wilma Mankiller, the first woman elected to lead the Cherokee Nation, to appear on the $20 bill instead of infamous president Andrew Jackson:
A group called Women on 20s has popped up supporting placing a woman on the bill. It has a list of candidates for an online vote and includes a petition to the White House. Wilma Mankiller needs to be on that list. The Tahlequah native became the first woman to lead the Cherokee tribe in modern times by focusing on social and financial issues. During her decade as chief, Mankiller tripled the tribe’s enrollment, doubled employment and built health centers and education programs. A best statement would be to honor a Native American in place of the president who was called “Indian Killer.” Jackson was the chief architect of the 1830 Indian Removal Act, which forced 46,000 American Indians from their homes for 25 million acres to be used by white settlers for plantation expansions using slave labor. The Trail of Tears march came from this atrocity. Jackson ordered 7,000 U.S. troops to remove 16,000 Cherokees, not allowing families to keep their belongings or get provisions for survival. More than 4,000 Cherokees died on the journey. The stories of inhumanity are horrifying. Jackson has no place on our money.Get the Story:
Ginnie Graham: $20 and change: Out with the $20 Jacksons and in with the Mankillers (The Tulsa World 3/18)
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