Ben Carson wrong about Tubman

By Leona Allen

The Dallas Morning News

There’s an old saying in the South that my Grandma Leona pulled out when someone said or did something foolish: “He needs to get somewhere and sit down,” she’d say while shaking her head.

Ben Carson, you need to get somewhere and sit down.

While fans were rejoicing at the move to have abolitionist Harriet Tubman’s face replace Andrew Jackson’s on the front of $20 bill, Carson was knocking the move, saying maybe she should be on the $2 bill instead.

“I love Harriet Tubman,” Carson told Fox Business Network’s Neil Cavuto. “I love what she did, but can we find another way to honor her. Maybe a $2 bill.”

No, Mr. Carson, she will soon be on the $20 bill that we all carry in our pockets and purses. Not the obscure $2 bill that no one uses. Tubman. A woman. A black woman. Deal with that.

It was a long overdue correction of the heroes history chooses to honor. She’s more than worthy to relegate Jackson to the back of the bill because of the lasting legacy she left as a leader guiding slaves to freedom in the Underground Railroad.

And it’s only fitting that she’s replacing Jackson – a war hero – but also a slave owner known for the harsh treatment of Native Americans during his presidency.

The last time Carson, a former GOP presidential candidate, made big news was when he announced that he would throw his support behind front-runner Donald Trump. He’s less and less relevant now. That may be a good thing if this is the kind of thing coming out of his mouth.

Sheila Keys, a niece of Rosa Parks, who was also in the running for a new spot on U.S. currency, may have had the best line of all to TMZ. Carson, a retired neurosurgeon, “needs surgery on his brain” and clearly puts zero historical value on Tubman’s contributions to Americans, she said.

Fortunately, many others do.

Leona Allen is a member of the Dallas Morning News editorial board. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.