“A woman’s place is on the money” is the catchy tagline of a growing national movement to put an American woman trail blazer on the $20 bill. It’s pretty fitting timing given that it’s Women’s History month and a long overdue improvement if you consider that the Susan B. Anthony and Sacagawea dollars (when’s the last time you used one of those?) are the only places women are represented on our currency.
Reading through the list of women candidates is a walk through America’s history and a reminder of how many strong, smart and brave women have impacted our nation. We couldn’t help but take note of two nominees who played vital roles in the creation of Social Security – First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and the first female U.S. Cabinet member, and the longest-serving labor secretary in history, Frances Perkins. Both women played critical roles in ensuring America’s retirees would have an income security lifeline as they age. Eleanor Roosevelt is also the inspiration for our “Eleanor’s Hope” initiative which is raising awareness, recruiting and training new Social Security activists while also bolstering Congressional leaders who are making a difference on women’s health and retirement security issues. We’re also advocating for legislation that addresses the inequities threatening millions of retired women and working to elect lawmakers who share our vision of retirement equity for women.
Without Social Security, over half of all older Americans would fall into poverty. More than many other federal programs, Social Security does exactly what it was designed to do – it gives retired people a secure, basic income for as long as they live. We think that’s a really great reason to cast our Women on 20’s vote for Eleanor and Frances (plus you get to pick one more too!)