Over the course of her 60-year career, Ella Fitzgerald (1917-1996) became known to fans and colle
Black History: Black Heritage Stamp Series
Grade Range: K-12
Resource Type(s): Reference Materials, Interactives & Media
Duration: 60 minutes
Date Posted:
10/14/2016
A topical collection featuring African-American leaders, inventors, activists, sports figures, and culture-shapers whose lives changed history. These stamps are part of the Black Heritage Stamp Series. U.S. postage stamps were in use for nearly a century before Booker T. Washington became the first African American to appear on one. A handful of additional black history-related designs appeared between 1940 and 1978, when the U.S. Postal Service introduced the Black Heritage series. USPS continues to issue a stamp featuring a notable Black American every February in conjunction with Black History Month and at other times during the year. Today the Black Heritage issues are the longest-running U.S. stamp series.