Harriet Tubman To Replace Jackson On $20 Bill

WASHINGTON (WJZ) -- Money makeover. A female face will soon grace the $20 bill: Maryland native Harriet Tubman. A 19th century abolitionist and the leader of the Underground Railroad, Tubman is the first woman on paper currency in 100 years.

Ava-joye Burnett with more on the historic change that's breaking through barriers.

Harriet Tubman risked her own life to free hundreds of slaves on the Underground Railroad. She will become the first African-American on U.S. paper money.

Your money will no longer be business as usual. Harriet Tubman will become the first woman on U.S. paper money in 100 years.

"A woman could grow up as a slave, remain illiterate, and through her heroism and her vision and her determination, help to change the course of this country," said Jack Lew, U.S. Treasury secretary.

Harriet Tubman escaped the grips of slavery in the mid 1800s, only to return to the south more than a dozen times, using the Underground Railroad to free hundreds of slaves.

Harriet Tubman was born in Dorcester County on the Eastern Shore. There are many monuments there honoring her legacy.

"A joy in my heart!" said Valerie Ross Manokey, Tubman's great-great niece.

Inside a museum dedicated to the abolitionist, WJZ spoke with Manokey, who's now 80 years old.

"We've always been proud. If nobody else own her, she belongs to us. But to share the blessing and have it be acknowledged for real to the point that it got to one of those little green things we call money, that's awesome," she said.

President Andrew Jackson, a slave owner, is now on the front of the bill. His picture will move to the back, making way for historic change.

"And if she could possibly reflect on this, she would probably say, 'I struggled and it was a rough time, but all this was worth all of my efforts,'" said Donald Pinder, president at the Harriet Tubman Organization.

The U.S. Treasury Department was initially considering replacing Alexander Hamilton on the $10 bill, but the award-winning musical "Hamilton" boosted his popularity.

There is no set time for when the new $20 bill will be issued, but the Treasury Department has committed to completing the design for the bill by 2020.