CHICAGO — The U.S. Postal Service and Johnson Publishing Company will hold a First-Day-of-Issuance event for the 2012 Black Heritage stamp, honoring Chicago-based publisher John H. Johnson, Tuesday, January 31, at Johnson Publishing Company, 820 S. Michigan Ave., at 11 a.m.

Johnson (1918 – 2005) is the trailblazing publisher of Ebony, Jet, and other magazines, and an entrepreneur who in 1982 became the first African American listed by Forbes magazine as one of the 400 wealthiest people in America. Johnson overcame poverty and racism to build a business empire embracing magazines, radio stations, cosmetics, and more. His magazines portrayed black people positively at a time when such representation was rare, and played an important role in the civil rights movement.

"I am immensely proud that my father and his life's passion are being recognized in such high an honor as the Black Heritage Stamp," said Linda Johnson Rice, Chairwoman, Johnson Publishing Company. "His legacy lives on in all whom he touched and in the work we continue to do daily.”

The Postal Service has recognized the achievements of prominent African Americans through the Black Heritage series since 1978. This stamp honoring Johnson is the 35th stamp in that series, which highlights outstanding individuals who helped shape American culture.

The Black Heritage stamp honoring John H. Johnson is being issued as a Forever® stamp. Forever stamps are always equal in value to the current First-Class Mail one-ounce rate.

The stamp, designed by USPS art director Howard Paine, features a photograph of John H. Johnson by Bachrach Studios. The photographer was David McCann.

The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses, and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.

# # #

Please Note: For broadcast quality video and audio, photo stills and other media resources, visit the USPS Newsroom at http://about.usps.com/news/welcome.htm.

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 direct support from taxpayers. With 36,000 retail locations and the most frequently visited website in the federal government, the Postal Service relies on the sale of postage, products and services to pay for operating expenses. Named the Most Trusted Government Agency five consecutive years and the sixth Most Trusted Business in the nation by the Ponemon Institute, the Postal Service has annual revenue of more than $68 billion and delivers nearly half the world’s mail. If it were a private sector company, the U.S. Postal Service would rank 28th in the 2009 Fortune 500.