US Postal Service Honors Shirley Chisholm with Black Heritage Stamp
The Shirley Chisholm Black Heritage Forever Stamp goes on sale Friday at Post Offices nationwide, online at usps.com/stamps, at the Postal Store on eBay at ebay.com/stamps, and by calling 800-STAMP24 (800-782-6724).
"Shirley Chisholm was a courageous and pioneering woman whose legacy lives on with the issuance of this special stamp," said Deputy Postmaster General Ronald Stroman. "We are proud to honor this great American who shattered barriers of race and gender. Shirley Chisholm fought for the rights of women and the poor as a true champion for justice and equality for all."
Joining Stroman to dedicate the stamp were several dignitaries including former U.S. Ambassador Andrew Young and many other federal, state and local officials. A tribute video was shown during the ceremony, featuring quotes from Ambassador Young and others who knew and worked with Chisholm, and were influenced by her contributions to America. Click here to see the Shirley Chisholm: Black Heritage Commemorative Stamp Series video.
The Shirley Chisholm stamp was designed by art director Ethel Kessler and features a color portrait of Chisholm by artist Robert Shetterly. Painted in acrylic on wood, the portrait is one of a series of paintings by Shetterly titled "Americans Who Tell the Truth."
Chisholm joins several of the nation's leading African-American educators, entertainers, civil rights activists, politicians, scholars, athletes, and business pioneers featured in the Black Heritage stamp series. Launched in 1978 with the issuance of the Harriet Tubman stamp, the series includes stamps honoring Sojourner Truth, Paul Robeson, W.E.B. Du Bois, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Roy Wilkins, Thurgood Marshall, Jackie Robinson, Madam C.J. Walker, Ella Fitzgerald, Marian Anderson, Barbara Jordan, Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, Mary McLeod Bethune, John Johnson, and Althea Gibson.
Related:
The Plight of the African-American Woman in PoliticsStrength in Spirit: The Power of Black Women’s Moral Agency
100 Books by Black Women Everyone Must Read
Kimberly Foster is the founder and editor of For Harriet. Email or Follow @KimberlyNFoster
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