BY CRAIG GIAMMONA
The Jamaica Post Office, in conjunction with the Queens Library, unveiled a new window display Friday featuring each of the stamps the post office has issued as part of its ongoing Black Heritage stamp series, which honors influential African Americans.It is the first time that all of the stamps, including those honoring Jackie Robinson, Langston Hughes, Scott Joplin and Malcolm X, have been displayed together.City Councilman Leroy Comrie (D-St.Albans) presided over the event, which also marked the unveiling of the latest stamp in the series. The stamp honors Hattie McDaniel, the first black performer to win an Academy Award. McDaniel, an actress, singer and television personality, is the 29th black American to be honored in the series, which began in 1978 with the issuance of the Harriet Tubman commemorative stamp.Scheduled to coincide with Black History Month, the display is expected to be seen by about 2,000 people a day and will be illuminated at night, according to Thomas Galante, director of the library system. It will remain in the library window for about a month.Postal officials lauded the display and said it was made possible through the collaboration with the library.”Very rarely do we get an opportunity to have a venue like this,” said Michael Lowry, manager of customer service operations at the Jamaica Post Office. “It's the only place big enough to display the whole set.”According to postal officials, the stamp series is designed to educate and celebrate the contributions black Americans have made to society. There are 29 stamps in all, ranging from athletes and actors to politicians, musicians and a Supreme Court justice. Bessie Coleman, the first woman of any race to earn an international aviation license, is also part of the series, honored with a 32-cent stamp.It is interesting to note the different prices that are displayed on the stamps, indicating the era when they were issued and how much it cost to mail a letter during that time period. The Tubman stamp, issued in 1978, cost 13 cents. The McDaniel stamp, issued 18 years later, costs 39 cents.Reach Reporter Craig Giammona by e-mail at news@timesledger.com or by phone at 718-229-0300 ext. 146.
