On a recent Instagram post, we mentioned a commitment of Lead Graffiti to further the cause of black and brown members of our community and to call out instances when the opposite was occurring.
On May 21, 2020, the USPS issued a new and quite beautiful set of stamps celebrating four people representing the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s.
Alain Locke, writer, philosopher, educator, and arts advocate;
Nella Larsen, novelist;
Arturo Alfonso Schomburg, bibliophile and historian; and
Anne Spencer, poet.
Quoting the USPS website, "This issuance celebrates one of the great artistic and literary movements in American history, the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s, which firmly established African Americans as a vital force in literature and the arts." The above details about the personalities were also on the website.
The print run was 16,000,000 stamps, and there would have been 800,000 sheets sold to the public potentially conveying a sense of support or supplying information that might be useful. Those publishing details were found at about.usps.com.
How many of us would benefit from knowing more about this historically significant moment? African American kids? Adults. White supremacists? Teachers? Protesters? Government officials?
But, as you can see from the image, the back is blank. The sheet of stamps contains no information about four people that deserve a United States stamp. No subjects. No history. No accomplishments.
Looking back at many stamp sheets I own (a couple of dozen), most are blank. The back on the sheet highlighting the "repeal of the Stamp Act, 1766, (shown below) includes significant text explaining its history.
We find it absurd that on the sheet of stamps, there is no effort to use the stamps to help educate the public about the individual's accomplishments. Honestly, if the subject is worth a stamp, it is worth an explanation.
And imagine, if you were in charge of this sheet, who could you hire to write the Harlem renaissance stories?
It just seems like it was a wasted opportunity.