ATLANTA — Deputy Postmaster General Ronald A. Stroman will serve as the dedicating official Friday when the U.S. Postal Service and Atlanta’s Saint Philip A.M.E. Church observe Black History Month with the dedication of the Richard Allen Forever stamp. As a 19th-century preacher, activist, civic leader and founder of the nation’s first African Methodist Episcopal Church, Richard Allen made a profound contribution to American history. The dedication ceremony will be held at 1 p.m. Friday, Feb. 26, at Saint Philip A.M.E. Church, 240 Candler Rd. SE, Atlanta, GA 30317.
The stamp - the 39th in the Postal Service’s Black Heritage Stamp series - had its First-Day-of-Issue Feb. 2 at the site of the first A.M.E. church, Mother Bethel, in Philadelphia. The Black Heritage Stamp series began in 1978 with a stamp honoring abolitionist Harriet Tubman. Other African-Americans honored in the Black Heritage stamp series include Martin Luther King Jr., Benjamin Banneker, Dr. Carter G. Woodson, Mary McLeod Bethune, Langston Hughes, Thurgood Marshall, Paul Robeson, Marian Anderson, Hattie McDaniel and Ella Fitzgerald.
The issuance of the Allen stamp coincides with the 200th anniversary of Allen’s founding of the African Methodist Episcopal Church – an important institution in African-American life -- and Allen’s election and consecration as the denomination’s first bishop.
As the second-highest ranking postal executive currently serving on Postmaster General Megan Brennan’s Executive Leadership Team, Ronald A. Stroman works closely with the mailing industry to help strengthen relationships and identify opportunities to improve interactions with postal customers.
“The Postal Service is pleased to dedicate this special commemorative Forever stamp in the honor of someone who influenced giants of Black History like Frederick Douglass and Martin Luther King Jr.,” said Stroman.
Scheduled to join Ronald Stroman to dedicate the stamp are Saint Philip A.M.E. Church Senior Pastor William D. Watley; the Rev. Teresa Fry Brown, historiographer/executive director, Department of Research & Scholarship, A.M.E. Church; Jamye Coleman Williams, retired general officer, A.M.E. Church; Bishop Preston W. Williams, II, presiding prelate of the Sixth Episcopal District, A.M.E. Church; Big Bethel A.M.E. Church Senior Pastor John Foster; and retired Bishop Carolyn Tyler Guidry.
Customers may purchase the Richard Allen Forever stamp at usps.com/stamps, the Postal Store usps.com/shop, by calling 800-STAMP24 (800-782-6724) and at Post Offices nationwide. A variety of stamps and collectibles also is available at ebay.com/stamps.
The stamp art is a portrait of Allen, a detail from an 1876 print titled, “Bishops of the A.M.E. Church,” from the collection of the Library Company of Philadelphia.
Allen’s Life and Legacy
When Richard Allen (1760–1831) lamented the bitterness of slavery, he spoke from experience. But this remarkably resolute and industrious man purchased his own freedom in his 20s and became one of the most important African-American leaders of his era.
After making a name for himself as a traveling minister throughout the Mid-Atlantic, Allen was asked to preach to African-Americans at a Methodist church in Philadelphia. He quickly rose to prominence as a civic leader. He co-founded an organization to help African-American neighbors in need, rallied black Philadelphians to serve as aid workers during a yellow fever epidemic in 1793 and prepared the black community to defend the city during the War of 1812.
Eager to establish an independent African-American church, Allen purchased an old blacksmith’s shop and moved it to land he owned at Sixth and Lombard Streets. Bethel Church was dedicated in 1794 and soon attracted hundreds of members, but Allen spent years in conflict with white church leaders who sought to assert their control. At one point, they tried to sell the building out from under him, but as a successful businessman, Allen was able to buy it back at auction. After a campaign that included sit-ins by African-Americans and a judgment by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, the congregation secured its independence. In 1816, Allen summoned other black Methodist leaders to Philadelphia, where together they founded the African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) Church, electing and consecrating Allen as its first bishop.
Today, Mother Bethel A.M.E. Church stands on the site where Allen converted that old blacksmith’s shop more than two centuries ago. The denomination he founded now boasts more than 2.5 million members. His life — a legacy of determination, uplift, charity and faith — remains an inspiration.
# # #
Please Note: For broadcast quality video and audio, photo stills and other media resources, visit the USPS Newsroom.
Reporters interested in speaking with regional Postal Service public relations professionals should visit this link.
Follow us on twitter.com/USPS and like us at facebook.com/USPS. For more information about the Postal Service, visit usps.com
and usps.com/postalfacts.
