Press "Enter" to skip to content

Posts tagged as “US Postal Service”

27 Years Ago Today: U.S. Postal Service Issues Sojourner Truth Stamp

By goodblacknews on February 4, 2013

On Feb. 4, 1986, the U.S. Postal Service issued a commemorative postage stamp honoring abolitionist and women’s rights activist Sojourner Truth as part of its Black Heritage series.

Sojurner Truth was born Isabella Baumfree in 1797 on the Hardenbergh plantation in upstate New York. In 1826, Truth managed to escape to freedom and became known as a fearless advocate for enslaved African-Americans and women. 
She is best known for her “Ain’t I a Woman?” speech that challenged gender and racial inequalities. During the Civil War, Truth became involved in the war effort by recruiting black troops for the Union Army. After the war, she tried unsuccessfully to secure land grants from the federal government for former slaves.
article by Naeesa Aziz via bet.com

Postal Worker Deborah Ford Retires After 44 Years with No Sick Days

By goodblacknews on January 28, 2013

[cnnvideo url=’http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2013/01/25/dnt-no-sick-days.cnn’ inline=’true’]
Deborah FordThe work ethic is alive and well in Detroit, Michigan, where postal worker Deborah Ford was honored upon her retirement for having never missed a day of work in 44 years.  Her simple message of professionalism and commitment to her job is definitely something to admire  and celebrate.
article by Lori Lakin Hutcherson

Rosa Parks Statue to be Added to Statuary Hall on Capitol Hill

By goodblacknews on January 23, 2013
Rosa Parks Statue Will Be Added to Capitol Later This Year

Civil Rights Activist Rosa Parks (Photo: CBS/Landov)

The late Rosa Parks continues to make history. Her likeness will be depicted in a statue later this year at Capitol Hill’s Statuary Hall, making her the first African-American woman to achieve the mark.

Each of the 50 states donates two statues of their most prominent citizens to Statuary Hall. Rosa Parks will be representative of the state of Alabama where she refused to give up her seat on a Montgomery bus and became the “mother of the civil rights movement.”  Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) announced the statue would be revealed in late 2013. As chairman of the Senate Rules Committee, he is also in charge of artwork in the Capitol.
Congress passed an order to place the statue in the hall in 2005. In 2008, the National Endowment for the Arts announced a design competition calling artists to submit designs for the statue.  The U.S. Postal Service is also commemorating the life of Rosa Parks. On Feb. 4, the postal service is issuing a special “Historic Forever” stamp in honor of Parks’ 100th birthday.
Detroit will be the first city to sell the Rosa Parks stamp.
 article by Natelege Whaley via bet.com

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

By goodblacknews on January 2, 2013
Emancipation Proclamation Stamp dedication

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.