Once upon a time, having a month designated for a person, place, thing or cause was something special. In a sense, it still is. Sadly, sometimes, it’s gotten a tad out of hand. A few too many things now qualify making it hard to differentiate between the serious and trivial.
Maybe it’s because it’s gotten a little too easy. From appearances, if the aunt of your brother-in-law’s yard man’s mechanic happens to tune up a Congressman’s car, he might have enough sway to persuade the government official to have a month designated for most anything.
Case in point, during February, we’re celebrating Black History Month. That’s substantial. Yet, during the same 28 days, we are treated to: National Bird-Feeding Month; National Children's Dental Health Month; National Freedom Day; National Send a Card to a Friend Day; Thank a Mail Carrier Day; and (I’m not making this up) National Ice Cream For Breakfast Day. All those are, of course, in addition to Groundhog Day; Valentine’s Day and President’s Day....
Other “celebratory” days aside, Black History Month has a special place in American society and should in our educational system. Too often, the contributions of both well- and little-known Black Americans are overlooked or dismissed. Perhaps that was one of the reasons for the US Postal Service to institute their Black Heritage stamp series in 1978.
The series was the brainchild of Clarence L. Irving, founder of the Black American Heritage Foundation. He floated the idea in 1975. Three years later, the first stamp debuted showcasing Underground Railroad “conductor” Harriet Tubman. Since then, 47 Black celebrants have been commemorated by the USPS. As of this month, the number is 48 with the issuance of a new Forever stamp celebrating jazz musician Allen Toussaint.
He was known for blending R&B, funk, soul, jazz and melodies. Toussaint received countless awards and was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame, Songwriters Hall of Fame, Louisiana Music Hall of Fame, and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. In 2013, President Barack Obama awarded Toussaint with the National Medal of Arts. Notably, in 2022, the city of New Orleans renamed the four-mile-long Robert E. Lee Boulevard in honor of Toussaint. The Forever stamp is now available at post offices nationwide.
In addition to the Toussaint stamp, astute watchers of their change will see the US Mint has issued a new quarter, this one honoring Black activist Ida B. Wells. Wells was one of the very first Black American investigative journalists. Born into slavery, as a baby she was freed under the Emancipation Proclamation. As a teen, Wells moved to Memphis where she co-owned and wrote for the Memphis Free Speech and Headlight newspaper. Her articles most often centered on the murder of Black people.
Wells soon moved to Chicago where she continued her newspaper career and became a sociologist, educator, and early leader in the civil rights movement. She was also a passionate feminist who is said to have provoked many with her views on women's rights. She soon became one of the founders of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).
Wells began to rub many people the wrong way. In 1891, she was fired from her teaching as a result of her articles criticizing conditions in the Black schools. It didn’t matter. She continued to write and speak taking her cause overseas to England and Scotland. Wells was persuasive enough to encourage a boycott of US southern-made cotton abroad.
Her activism became so pronounced, Wells was actually asked to step down from the NAACP which she helped to institute. Again, she didn’t stop. Her many accounts are far too lengthy to fully mention here. Like Toussaint, she had a US stamp issued in her honor in 1990.
To honor the many Black Americans during this month, it would surely make for an interesting and educational project for young students (and adults alike) to collect and research the many such stamps and coins that have been issued. While maybe not tangibly valuable, any profit would surely come from the knowledge gleaned from finding out more about these luminaries -- particularly during Black History Month. That’s worth a lot.
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