The History of African American Representation on Stamps

Nov 11, 2025 0

It is considered a great honor to be selected by the United States Postal Service (USPS) to be depicted on a stamp. The USPS states that they choose significant events and individuals who have made “extraordinary and enduring contributions to American society, history, culture, or environment” to commemorate on stamps. Because subjects are chosen for their nation-wide recognition and respect, stamps reflect what is valued by society at the time they are issued.

The USPS issued its first stamps in 1847 honoring Benjamin Franklin and George Washington.

Shirley Chisholm: Black Heritage Stamp Series

However, postage stamps were in use for nearly a century before Booker T. Washington became the first African American to appear on one.

Here's a look at some key figures and milestones in the history of African American representation on stamps:

First African American on a Stamp: Booker T. Washington (1940)

Booker T. Washington stamp issued in 1940

It wasn’t until 1940, nearly a century later, that the first stamp honoring an African American individual was released. This stamp depicted Booker T. Washington, an educator best known for his leadership of the Tuskegee Institute. Washington dedicated his life to improving the lives of other African Americans through education, but his approach was controversial as he believed that African Americans should comply with segregation and the racial injustice that they faced, avoiding civil rights protests. Instead, he wanted them to focus on learning agricultural and industrial skills. His conservative stance made him the perfect first African American individual on a stamp in a segregated America. Honoring him would both please the African Americans that lobbied for representation and encourage others to embrace his passive approach to the fight for civil rights over those of more radical activists like W.E.B. Du Bois.

Scarcity of Representation (1940-1978)

After the Booker T. Washington stamp was issued in 1940, representation of African Americans on stamps remained scarce for many years. Between 1940 and the start of the Black Heritage stamp series in 1978, only nine stamps honored African Americans and their contributions.

The Black Heritage Stamp Series (1978-Present)

On February 1, 1978, the Postal Service introduced the Black Heritage series. The first stamp in the new Black Heritage Series features Harriet Tubman. On February 1, 1978, the first stamp in the Black Heritage series was issued. This stamp featured Harriet Tubman, a woman who escaped slavery and went on to help hundreds of other enslaved people escape in the decade before the Civil War. She also served as a spy for the Union in the Civil War and was active in the women’s suffrage meeting.

13¢ Harriet Tubman Die Proof, c. 1978

In addition to the annual Black Heritage stamp issue, African American representation has increased substantially through other stamp series such as Legends of American Music and Distinguished Americans. The positive reception of the Black Heritage stamps and the overall increase in African American representation mark a notable shift in societal values following the civil rights movement.

Here are some notable figures who have been honored in the Black Heritage Series:

Scott Joplin: The sixth stamp in the Black Heritage Series, this stamp honors composer Scott Joplin. Known as the “king of ragtime,” Joplin wrote several ballets and even an opera.
Carter G. Woodson: This commemorative issue honors the “Father of Black History.” Woodson (1875-1950) overcame economic and social barriers to become the person most responsible for researching, writing, and teaching about the heritage of Black Americans.
Mary McLeod Bethune: Issued in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of the National Council of Negro Women, this stamp honors educator Mary McLeod Bethune. Bethune (1875-1955) organized the Council in 1935 and also served as an advisor to President Franklin D. Roosevelt as a member of his “Black Cabinet.”
Sojourner Truth: Sojourner Truth (1797-1883) was an abolitionist and a women’s rights activist. Born into slavery, Isabella (as she was named) finally acquired her freedom and moved to New York City, where she found it nearly impossible to earn a living. In 1843, she changed her name to Sojourner Truth and began traveling, lecturing, and educating formerly enslaved people.
Jean Baptiste Pointe Du Sable: This addition to the Black Heritage Series features Jean Baptiste Pointe Du Sable, the founder of the city of Chicago. Born in Haiti, Du Sable became an educated man who prospered in his Chicago surroundings as a general merchant, fur trader, and farmer.
James Weldon Johnson: Born in Florida in 1871, James Weldon Johnson was representative of both the intellectual and creative worlds, being an educator, author, diplomat, lawyer, and lyricist. A graduate of Atlanta University, Johnson was the first African-American accepted to the Florida bar.
A. Philip Randolph: The twelfth stamp in the Black Heritage Series honors A. Philip Randolph (1889-1979), a respected and outspoken proponent of the rights of minority labor. He was greatly feared by his opponents, not because of his temperament, but because of his power to create change. He was named vice president of the AFL-CIO in 1957.
Ida B. Wells: The thirteenth stamp in the Black Heritage Series honors Ida B. Wells, who was born enslaved in 1862. She devoted her entire life to educating people about the horrors of racial discrimination.
W.E.B. Du Bois: A noted writer, historian, and educator, William Edward Burghardt Du Bois joined other distinguished African-Americans as part of the Black Heritage series. A leader in the early movement for equality for African-Americans, he founded the Niagara Movement in 1905.
Percy Lavon Julian: A research chemist known for his many contributions to science, Percy Lavon Julian (1899-1975) joined other noted Black Americans as part of the Black Heritage Series. Julian was one of the first African Americans to receive a doctorate in chemistry., and the first to be inducted into the National Academy of Sciences.
Dr. Allison Davis: A noted psychologist, educator, and author, Dr. Allison Davis (1902-83) helped raise national awareness of the civil rights issue through his books, lectures, and conferences.
Bessie Coleman: Born in 1892 and raised in the cotton fields of Texas, Bessie Coleman dared to dream that one day she would become someone history would remember. When no one in America would teach her how to fly, she traveled to France. In 1921 she received her license from the prestigious Fédération Aéronautique Internationale in 1921.
Ernest E. Just: Ernest E. Just was an internationally renowned zoologist, known primarily for his work in marine biology. He did pioneering research in the process of fertilization in marine invertebrates and in the study of cell surface development in organisms.
Benjamin O. Davis Sr.: The first Black brigadier general and a driving force in the eventual integration of the US armed forces, Benjamin Oliver Davis Sr. became the 20th American honored in the Black Heritage Series.
Madam C.J. Walker: The twenty-first stamp in the Black Heritage series honors the success and generosity of a self-made businesswoman from the beginning of the 20th century. Born Sarah Breedlove, Madam CJ Walker (1867-1919) was a beauty-products pioneer who became one of the first female millionaires in America. Her Madam C.J. businesses owned by an African American.
Malcolm X: Born in 1925 in Omaha, Nebraska, Malcolm was the son of preacher Earl Little, a follower of Marcus Garvey. Malcolm was sent to jail for burglary at the age of 21.
Patricia Roberts Harris: Patricia Roberts Harris’s overwhelming number of accomplishments. She became the first Black woman to serve as an American ambassador in 1965 when she was appointed by Lyndon Johnson.
Roy Wilkins: Children attend integrated schools today due partly to the efforts of Roy Wilkins, honored on the 24th stamp of the Black Heritage Series. Wilkins was executive secretary and executive director of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People for twenty-two years. He helped win the 1954 Supreme Court decision that ended segregated education.
Langston Hughes: Known best for his work during the Harlem Renaissance, Langston Hughes was an American poet, playwright, newspaper columnist, and author. Hughes’s work focused on the strength, courage, and humor of Black Americans.
Thurgood Marshall: Thurgood Marshall (1908-93) is the 26th honoree of the Black Heritage Series. In 1967, President Lyndon Johnson named Marshall to the Supreme Court, making him the first African-American to serve on the High Court.
Paul Robeson: Actor, singer, scholar, athlete, humanitarian, and civil rights activist Paul Robeson (1898-1976) was the son of a formerly enslaved person. Robeson used his deep baritone voice and theatrical talent to promote African and African-American history and culture.
Marian Anderson: Marian Anderson overcame poverty and racism to become one of the greatest contraltos of the twentieth century. Anderson is best remembered for her inspiring performance at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC, before a crowd of 75,000.
Hattie McDaniel: Due to the scarcity of roles for Black actresses, Hattie McDaniel spent much of her 20-year career playing maids. She has been quoted as saying, “I’d rather play a maid than be one.” McDaniel won an Academy Award as the year’s Best Supporting Actress for her role as “Mammy” in the 1939 film Gone With the Wind. She was the first African-American to win an Oscar.
Ella Fitzgerald: Ella Jane Fitzgerald’s (1917-96) pure, ageless voice spanned three octaves. She sang sultry ballads and sweet jazz and worked with all the jazz legends of her era. In her lifetime, Ella Fitzgerald recorded over 200 albums, won thirteen Grammy awards, and sold over forty million albums.
Charles W. Chestnutt: Charles Waddell Chestnutt (1858-1932) was the first Black novelist to have his fiction published in the prestigious Atlantic Monthly Magazine and also by major publishers Houghton Mifflin and Doubleday.
Anna Julia Cooper: Born into slavery in North Carolina, Anna Julia Cooper rose from bleak beginnings to become a leading African American teacher and activist. A skilled and persuasive speaker, Cooper used her gift to fight discrimination and to advocate higher education for women.

Shift in Societal Values

The increase in depictions of African Americans on stamps isn’t the only aspect of postal history that reveals the impact of the civil rights movement on societal values. After the start of the Black Heritage series, the USPS began honoring individuals with more radical beliefs and approaches to activism than Booker T. Washington, such as W.E.B. Du Bois and Malcolm X.

W.E.B. Du Bois was a sociologist, civil rights activist, and a founding member of the NAACP, an organization which has worked to end racial injustice since its formation in 1909. Malcolm X was a leader in the civil rights movement who was considered controversial because he encouraged African Americans to protect themselves from racism “by any means necessary,” which conflicted with the nonviolent methods of other civil rights leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr.

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Other Honorees

Postal Service (USPS) stamps have paid homage to people who have left their mark on American history. Among those recognized are 100-plus African Americans whose contributions have helped shape America and the world.

Here are some other notable African Americans who have been honored on US postage stamps:

George Washington Carver: George Washington Carver (1860-1943) was a botanist and inventor who improved the quality of life for millions of people through his scientific contributions in agriculture.
Frederick Douglass: Abolitionist and statesman Frederick Douglass (1818-1895) astounded audiences with his arguments against slavery and for equal rights-especially since he had been born a slave.
W.C. Handy: Composer and musician W.C. Handy (1873-1958) is known as the “Father of the Blues.”
Henry O. Tanner: Henry O. Tanner (1859-1937) was the first African American painter to gain international acclaim.
Salem Poor: Salem Poor (1747-1802) was an African American slave who purchased his freedom and rose to fame as a war hero during the Revolutionary War.

Key Stamp Issues Featuring African Americans

Below is a list of key stamp issues that feature African Americans, highlighting the diverse range of individuals and themes celebrated by the USPS.

Series/Issue	Description
Black Heritage Series	Annual series honoring prominent African Americans.
Legends of American Music, Jazz Musicians	Features jazz musicians like James P. Johnson.
Celebrate the Century-1900s	Includes figures like W. E. B. Du Bois.
Women in Journalism	Features journalists like Ethel L. Payne.
To Form a More Perfect Union	Commemorates events like Brown v. Board of Education.
Distinguished American Diplomats	Honors diplomats like Clifton R. Wharton Jr.
Civil Rights Pioneers	Recognizes civil rights leaders like J.R. Clotworthy.

The increase in depictions of African Americans on stamps marks a notable shift in societal values following the civil rights movement.

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