Alabamians start campaign to put Helen Keller on new $10 bill

Helen Keller supporters started a campaign this week to make the famous Alabamian the first woman represented on the new U.S. $10 bill.

Last year, the U.S. Treasury Department announced that it would redesign the $10 bill by adding a woman, and asked for public input on what woman should grace the new 10. Soon after the announcement, the Alabama legislature passed a resolution advocating for Helen Keller’s inclusion on the new bill.

The campaign for Keller started this week in her home of Ivy Green, Alabama. The Helen Keller Foundation is leading the campaign, and state and local officials were present to show their support.

“Helen Keller is the perfect choice for the new bill. She overcame every challenge put before her and inspired people around the world. Her birthplace here at Ivy Green in Tuscumbia shares her story to more than 40,000 tourists and school children who visit each year,” said Lee Sentell, state tourism director.

Helen Keller was born in 1880 and contracted a severe disease at just 19 months that left her deaf and blind. Despite her disabilities, Keller learned how to communicate through sign language with the help of her teacher Anne Sullivan. Keller went on to become the first deaf-blind individual to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree. She also became a prolific speaker around the world and wrote 13 books. President Lyndon B. Johnson presented her with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1964.

“Eleanor Roosevelt called her America’s goodwill ambassador to the world and Time magazine selected her as one of the 100 most important people of the twentieth century. Helen Keller’s legacy remains beloved today,” said Laura Beckwith, executive director of the Helen Keller Foundation.

Keller can already be found on the Alabama state quarter, but this campaign is pushing for a larger canvas for the famous Alabamian. The new $10 will also include another feature that Keller would have appreciated: a different feel that will separate it form other bills, making it easier for individuals with vision loss or other visual impairments to distinguish between bills.

Other women whose names have been promoted for consideration include Keller’s fellow Alabamian Rosa Parks, Eleanor Roosevelt, Susan B. Anthony, and Harriet Tubman.

Alexander Hamilton, the first Treasury Secretary and creator of the country’s financial system, is currently on the $10 bill.

To learn more about the new $10 or add your input, go to the Treasury Department’s website www.thenew10.treasury.gov