US Postal Service Commemorates 150th Anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation with New Stamp

Emancipation Proclamation Stamp dedication at The National Archives by (left to right) Danny Davis, Eddie Bernice Johnson, Ronald Stroman, David Ferriero, A’Leila Bundles, Dr. Bernice Johnson Reagon. (Photo: U.S. Postal Service)

President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation on Jan. 1, 1863, creating what Deputy Postmaster General Ronald A. Stroman called, “a powerful symbol of President Lincoln’s determination to end the war, to end slavery, and to reconstruct the economy of the country without slave labor.
“Stamps often tap into our culture and help us remember the events and people who have had an impact on American history,” he further explained in a release about the stamp’s creation.
The first of three stamps to be released this year celebrating the Civil Rights Movement, the Emancipation Proclamation Forever Stamp was designed to resemble posters of the Civil War era. Graphic designer Gail Anderson, former senior art director of Rolling Stone magazine, worked with art director Antonio Alcala to create its distinctive look.
Rosa Parks and the March on Washington will be remembered in the two remaining stamps due this year on this theme. Previous stamps issued to honor civil rights history include a 2009 series of 12 stamps featuring leaders of the movement.
The Emancipation Proclamation Forever Stamp was unveiled on New Year’s Day at the National Archives in Washington, D.C. where the original Emancipation Proclamation was on display for a three day period. After the stamp’s unveiling, singer and scholar Dr. Bernice Johnson Reagon performed a dramatic reading of the historic document.
article by Alexis Garrett Stodghill via thegrio.com