Helen Keller...An Unlikely Evangelist....

What Woman Should Be on the $10 Bill?

I’m sure by now most of you know about the facelift our Treasury Department is planning for the $10.00  bill?   Treasury Secretary, Jack Lew, recently announced that the “Hamilton” was undergoing “cosmetic surgery” of sorts. The government is seeking public opinion on what woman might be worthy of that prominent portrait.  So, why I am focusing on this subject - which is seemingly unrelated to the content of this blog For Catholics who Care?  The connection to Our Lord is somewhat subtle, but unmistakable relative to how God reveals His presence in all of our lives….

But, first, my personal choice - without hesitation – would be Our Lady, The Blessed Virgin Mary. Imagine the publicity!  Imagine how our Call To The New Evangelization would benefit.   Of course, you can also imagine how Treasury Secretary Lew would receive my suggestion.  My second choice would be  Mother Teresa (and some who took the USA TODAY/Suffolk Poll agreed).  Then, something my friend wrote on his FaceBook page reminded me of the grand dame of women who have changed history: Helen Keller!

                “Much debate over which woman should
                 grace the new $10 bill.  My choice is Helen
                 Keller.  I believe she is the embodiment of
                 the spirit of this country.  Just look at her
                 adversity, what she endured and what she
                 accomplished.  Strength, determination and
                 courage defined her, as well as America.”   

Ah, yes, I thought - Helen Keller.  And I joined, without hesitation, the Let’s Put Helen Keller on the Face of the new $10 Bill Committee.

After all, Helen Keller was one of our Nation’s strongest women at a time when women weren’t celebrated for their personal strength. She was a pioneer and an icon in so many arenas.  It was Helen Keller who became one of the country’s leading anti-racist activists, and who also championed the needs of people with disabilities. And it was Helen Keller who helped found the American Civil Liberties Union.  Helen Keller said:                    

          “I am only one; but still I am one.  I cannot do
            everything, but still I can do something.  I will
            not refuse to do something I can do.” 

I was struck by her declaration!  Recognizing that it might have come from the lips of Mother Teresa herself!  And, what really amped up my campaign efforts to put Helen Keller’s face on the $10 bill was this quote:    

            "Once I knew only darkness and stillness...my life
            was without past or future…but a little word from
            the fingers of another fell into my hand that clutched
            at emptiness, and my heart leaped to the rapture
            of living.”

How Christ-centered these words sounded to me!  I think Helen Keller was certainly a Disciple of Christ, even though she made not have realized it fully. From a letter Helen Keller wrote to Bishop Phillips Brooks we've come to understand that:  “She had always known about God, even before she had any words. Even before she could call God anything, she knew God was there. She didn't know what it was. God had no name for her -- nothing had a name for her. She had no concept of a name. But in her darkness and isolation, she knew she was not alone. Someone was with her. She felt God's love. And when she received the gift of language and heard about God, she said she already knew.”                       (See City-Data.com)


(See collected letters of Phillip Brooks and Helen Keller.)


General Information for The United States Treasury.  Call and nominate Helen Keller for the woman on the $10 bill.  (202) 622-2000 
Fax: (202) 622-6415

To Write to Jack Lew and nominate Helen Keller:  

https://www.treasury.gov/connect/Pages/Message-to-the-Secretary.aspx