| USPS Discontinuing Black Heritage Stamps | |||
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| Netlore Archive: Is the U.S. Postal Service discontinuing and destroying African American Heritage stamps? | |||
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Variant #1:
Email example contributed by Susan A., 16 February 2005:
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Subject: African American Stamps US POST OFFICE TO DESTROY AFRICAN AMERICAN STAMPS! Thurgood Marshall, Roy Wilkins, Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, Patricia Roberts Harris are all on these stamps. Please forward this and buy a book of our stamps ASAP. The P.O. will DESTROY all remaining African American Heritage stamps at the end of the month instead of following their usual procedure of selling them until they are depleted. Why? Because we're not buying them! However, our postal workers are asking patrons to complain to the Post Master, via a complaint form. Please ask for and complete the form (at the post office). Skip the love, flag, rose or teddy- bear stamps that they offer you automatically, Request African-American stamps every time. If we don't buy them, nobody will. We need to keep the little things that we do get. Please send this email to all your friends so we can keep BLACK STAMPS in circulation!!!! |
Variant #2:
Email example contributed by Howard K., 19 June 2000:
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Discontinuing and DESTROYING Black Stamps I was in the post office this morning and requested the African American stamp. The postal worker informed me that they will DESTROY all remaining African American Heritage stamps at the end of the month instead of following their usual process of selling them until they are depleted. She also said that they were asking patrons to complain to the Post Master and gave me a complaint form. Needless to say, I've already completed the form. The post office is considering discontinuing Black Heritage Stamp because they aren't selling. Instead of taking the path of least resistance and accepting the love, flag, rose or teddy bear stamps that they offer you automatically, request African-American stamps each and every time you mail something. If we don't buy them, nobody will. Perhaps you think it's not a major issue. However, it is a part of the ongoing effort to assert ourselves as a major economic force in this society. And the stamps tell a little piece of our story. You can contact the post office at: new.usps.com PASS THE MESSAGE ON AND LET'S KEEP BLACK STAMPS IN CIRCULATION. |
Comments: False. The U.S. Postal Service has been issuing Black Heritage commemorative stamps every year for the past quarter-century and says it has no plans to discontinue them. The 2006 edition features the likeness of Academy Award-winning actress Hattie McDaniel.
Statement from the U.S. Postal Service:
A recent Internet rumor saying the Postal Service is discontinuing the Black Heritage series is another one of those untrue yarns that the Internet is sometimes famous for, as is the rumor that the Postal Service is destroying current Black Heritage series stamps.The fact is that the Black Heritage stamp series is one of our most popular. We have no plans whatsoever to discontinue it. The Postal Service remains as strongly committed to honoring the historical achievements and contributions of African Americans on stamps as we've always been.
Sources and further reading:
Postal Service's Black Heritage Stamp Series Here to Stay
U.S. Postal Service press releaseCelebrating African American History on Stamps
U.S. Postal Service fact sheet
Last updated: 04/27/06
