Stamp Images
Stamps from the U.S. Postal Service
The U.S. Postal Service offers two Internet sites featuring U.S.
commemorative stamps, with stamps commemorating famous
African-Americans featured on both sites.
The Black Heritage series includes such famous African-Americans as Madam C.J. Walker, Harriet Tubman, Martin Luther King, Jr., Benjamin Banneker, Whitney Moore Young, Jackie Robinson, Scott Joplin, Carter G. Woodson, Mary McLeod Bethune, Sojourner Truth, Jean Baptiste Point Du Sable, James Weldon Johnson, A. Philip Randolph, Ida B. Wells, Jan E. Matzeliger, W.E.B. Du Bois, Percy Lavon Julian, Dr. Allison Davis, Bessie Coleman, Ernest E. Just, Benjamin O. Davis, Sr., and, most recently, Langston Hughes.
Featured Stamps
(The following stamps have been featured on this site with the permission of the U.S. Postal Service)
- George Washington Carver
Botanist George Washington Carver improved the economy of the South by demonstrating the commercial possibilities of peanuts and sweet potatoes. His "Movable School" educated impoverished farmers.
- W.E.B. Du Bois, Social Activist
An educator and author, W.E.B. Du Bois promoted the cause for equality for all Americans. He helped found the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).
- Langston Hughes (About the stamp)
A noted writer of novels, stories, poems and plays about Negro life, Langston Hughes was sometimes characterized as the "O. Henry of Harlem." He was an extremely versatile and productive author who was particularly well known for his folksy humor. It was said that whenever Mr. Hughes had a pencil and paper in his hands, he would scribble poetry. He was born James Langston Hughes, in Joplin, Mo., on Feb. 1, 1902. His mother was a school teacher and his father was a storekeeper. His first book, "The Weary Blues," was published by Alfred A. Knopf in 1925.
- Jazz Flourishes
Created in the Unites States, jazz was spread by radio and recordings in the 1920s. Among the leading performers were Louis Armstrong, Jelly Roll Morton, Joe "King" Oliver, Fletcher Henderson, and Bix Beiderbecke. The stamp art is based on two photographs and live models.
- Martin Luther King, Jr.
On August 28, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech to some 2500 supporters in Washington, DC. He eloquently described his faith in equality, justice and freedom for all.
- Kwanzaa
Kwanzaa, a variation of the Swahili word for "first", is a seven day holiday observed by many Black Americans. It begins each December 26 and ends January 1. Each day celebrates a different principle: umoja or unity, kujichagulia or self-determination, ujima or collective work and responsibility, ujamaa or cooperative economics, nia or purpose, ukuumba or creativity, and imani or faith.
- Malcolm X (El-Hajj Malik
El-Shabazz)
The 22nd stamp in the Black Heritage series honors Malcolm X, one of the most influential African-American leaders of the 1960s. His controversial ideas sharpened America's debate about racial relations and strategies for social change. Born Malcolm Little in 1925, Malcolm X became the most visible spokesperson for the Nation of Islam in the early 1960s. He later broke away from the organization, disavowed his earlier separatist preaching and supported a more integrationist solution to racial problems. Under the name El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz, he attempted to organize an independent movement to put his new ideas into effect. On Feb. 21, 1965, he was shot to death while giving a speech to his followers in Harlem. The photograph featured on the stamp was taken by the Associated Press at a press conference in New York City on May 21, 1964.
- Jesse Owens
Six World Records: On the afternoon of May 25, 1935, Ohio State University's track star Jesse Owens was credited with setting 5 world records and tying another. The following year he earned 4 gold medals in international competition at Berlin.
- Madam C.J. Walker
Madam C.J. Walker was an early 20th century beauty product pioneer and one of the nation's first female millionaires. "Madam C.J. Walker realized her dreams of business success by relying upon a unique combination of steadfast determination and entrepreneurial spirit....Using her success for the good of others, she earned a reputation as a philanthropist to African-American institutions such as the NAACP, Tuskegee Institute, and Bethune-Cookman College.
- Roy Wilkins
For 2001, on its new 34-cent stamp, the Postal Service is featuring Roy Wilkins (1901-1981), who led the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) for 22 years. Wilkins' stewardship of the NAACP, the nation's oldest civil rights organization, ranged over the critical years of the civil rights movement and beyond. He took office in 1955 and presided over the NAACP for 22 years. Earlier he edited the NAACP's "Crisis Magazine," taking over from the legendary W. E. B. DuBois.
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