National Museum of African American History and Culture and U.S. Postal Service Issue Forever Stamp
The Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture is featured on a new Forever stamp from the U.S. Postal Service (USPS). The “Celebrating African American History and Culture” commemorative Forever stamp was issued today in a dedication ceremony at the museum.
The stamp issuance comes on the heels of the museum’s first anniversary, which was celebrated in September. The stamp art is based on a photograph of the museum building by Alan Karchmer. Text in the upper-left corner of the stamp reads “National Museum of African American History and Culture.” Art director Antonio Alcalá designed the stamp.
“I am humbled that the museum was chosen for this special stamp,” said Lonnie G. Bunch III, founding director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture. “It is fitting that the image on the stamp is the building itself, as this building, by its very design, stands as tribute to the African American experience.”
Bunch was joined for the ceremony by Smithsonian Board of Regents Chair David M. Rubenstein, Deputy Postmaster General and Chief Government Relations Officer Ronald A. Stroman and Postmaster Gerald A. Roane.
“The Postal Service is honored to issue a new commemorative Forever stamp acknowledging the important role African American history plays in American history,” said Stroman. “The National Museum of African American History and Culture is an American treasure that serves as a repository for the history of suffering, struggle and triumph of African Americans.”
A USPS truck parked outside the south side of the museum will sell the stamp along with other commemorative postal items all day Friday, Oct. 13. The stamp is also on sale nationwide at postal locations and online at usps.com/shop.
The first-day-of-issue ceremony can be viewed online at facebook.com/USPS. Visitors can share on Twitter and Instagram using #NMAAHC and #APeoplesJourney.
Press-quality images of the stamp can be downloaded at:
0-0_USPS17STA014b.jpg—Celebrating African American History and Culture
1-0_USPS17STA014c.jpg—Celebrating African American History and Culture
About the National Museum of African American History and Culture
The National Museum of African American History and Culture has welcomed nearly 3 million visitors since opening Sept. 24, 2016, on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Occupying a prominent location next to the Washington Monument, the nearly 400,000-square-foot museum is the nation’s largest and most comprehensive cultural destination devoted exclusively to exploring, documenting and showcasing the African American story and its impact on American and world history.
The building design was a collaboration of four design firms that formed Freelon Adjaye Bond/SmithGroupJJR: The Freelon Group, Adjaye Associates, Davis Brody Bond and the SmithGroupJJR. The design of the building features two distinct design elements—the “Corona,” the signature exterior feature that consists of 3,600 bronze-colored cast-aluminum panels weighing a total of 230 tons, and the “Porch,” which serves as the location for the main museum entrance on Madison Drive. Sustainable elements include photovoltaic panels that produce electricity to heat water for the building. For more information about the museum, visit nmaahc.si.edu, follow @NMAAHC on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat—or call Smithsonian information at (202) 633-1000.
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