Memphis, TN — To dispel recurring rumors that its long-standing Black Heritage stamp series will be discontinued; a senior postal official reiterated the Postal Service’s continued commitment to honoring African Americans on stamps.
“Nothing could be further from the truth. These rumors continue to resurface around this time of year,” explained David Failor, Executive Director of Stamp Services, U.S. Postal Service, referring to the deluge of inquiries the Postal Service receives shortly after a Black Heritage stamp issuance.
“As a main component of our annual stamp program, the Black Heritage series is alive and well, and here to stay,” Failor said.
“Black Heritage stamps, as with all commemorative stamps, generally remain on-sale for one year or as long as supplies last,” Failor added. “If a local Post Office has sold out, and has yet to replenish its supply, Failor said customers can easily order all stamps online at The Postal Store (www.usps.com/shop) or by phone at 800-STAMP24.”
The current 44-cent Black Heritage stamp honoring Oscar Micheaux is available for sale at Post Offices, at www.usps.com/shop or by calling 1-800-STAMP24. This year’s Black Heritage stamp will honor former U.S. Congresswoman Barbara Jordan of Texas. The stamp will go on sale in September. It will be issued as a Forever Stamp.
To locate hard to find Black Heritage stamps or stamps featuring African Americans, also visit www.blackhistorystamps.com.
Black Heritage Commemorative Stamp Series Backgrounder
The Black Heritage stamp series is one of the most popular of the U.S. Postal Service’s commemorative stamp series. Since 1978, the following Black Heritage stamps have been released.
- Harriet Tubman (1978)
- Martin Luther King (1979)
- Benjamin Banneker (1980)
- Whitney Moore Young (1981)
- Jackie Robinson (1982)
- Scott Joplin (1983)
- Carter G. Woodson (1984)
- Mary McLeod Bethune (1985)
- Sojourner Truth (1986)
- Jean Baptiste DuSable (1987)
- James Weldon Johnson (1988)
- A. Phillip Randolph (1989)
- Ida B. Wells (1990)
- Jan E. Matzeliger (1991)
- W.E.B. Du Bois (1992)
- Percy Lavon Julian (1993)
- Dr. Allison Davis (1994)
- Bessie Coleman (1995)
- Ernest E. Just (1996)
- Benjamin O. Davis, Sr. (1997)
- Madam C. J. Walker (1998)
- Malcolm X (El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz) (1999)
- Patricia Roberts Harris (2000)
- Roy Wilkins (2001)
- Langston Hughes (2002)
- Thurgood Marshall (2003)
- Paul Robeson (2004)
- Marian Anderson (2005)
- Hattie McDaniel (2006)
- Ella Fitzgerald (2007)
- Charles W. Chesnutt (2008)
- Ana Julia Cooper (2009)
- Oscar Micheaux (2010)
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A self-supporting government enterprise, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that reaches every address in the nation, 150 million residences, businesses and Post Office Boxes. The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses, and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations. With 32,000 retail locations and the most frequently visited website in the federal government, usps.com, the Postal Service has annual revenue of more than $67 billion and delivers nearly 40 percent of the world’s mail. If it were a private sector company, the U.S. Postal Service would rank 29th in the 2010 Fortune 500. Black Enterprise and Hispanic Business magazines ranked the Postal Service as a leader in workforce diversity. The Postal Service has been named the Most Trusted Government Agency six consecutive years and the sixth Most Trusted Business in the nation by the Ponemon Institute.
