Black heritage stamp series will continue

The Postal Service’s popular series of stamps honoring black Americans will continue, the agency said Thursday.

The service said it issued the statement in hopes of dispelling recurrent rumors that the Black Heritage series was being ended.
“Nothing could be further from the truth,” said David Failor, director of stamp services for the post office. He said the rumor seems to recur every year, right after the latest stamp in the series is issued.

In February the post office honored singer Marian Anderson with the 28th stamp in the Black Heritage series.

“As a main component of our annual stamp program, the Black Heritage series is alive and well, and here to stay,” Failor said. “We’re already looking forward to announcing next year’s honoree this fall.”

Like all commemorative stamps, the Black Heritage stamps generally remain on sale for a year, or as long as supplies last.

The series began in 1978 with a stamp honoring Harriet Tubman. Among those honored since then have been Martin Luther King Jr., Whitney Young, Jackie Robinson, Scott Joplin, Mary McLeod Bethune, Sojourner Truth, Malcolm X, and Thurgood Marshall, among others.