US Postal Service pays homage to Underground Railroad heroes with new Forever Stamps

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The U.S. Postal Service Monday celebrated the ingenuity, bravery and resilience of 10 courageous men and women who helped guide enslaved people to freedom via the Underground Railroad with a dedication ceremony to unveil a new series of Forever Stamps at the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Visitor Center in Church Creek.

Joining Ronald A. Stroman, a member of the USPS Board of Governors, for the ceremony were master of ceremonies Angela Crenshaw, director of the Maryland Park Service; Joshua Kurtz, Maryland secretary of natural resources; Deanna Mitchell, superintendent of the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park; Millicent Sparks, actor, writer and performer; Kate Clifford Larson, historian, author and consultant; Daniel Hunter, author and activist; and Antonio Alcalá, art director for USPS who designed the stamps.

Also at the ceremony were descendants of some of the people honored on the stamps: Ernestine “Tina” Wyatt and Douglas Mitchell, descendants of Harriet Tubman; Bob Seeley, descendants of Thomas Garrett; author and historian, Valerie Still, descendant of William Still; and Tarence Bailey Sr, descendant of Frederick Douglass and the founder and president of the Bailey-Groče Family Foundation and Operation Frederick Douglass on the Hill.

Also, participating in the stamp dedication ceremony were the Washington Division Postal Police Honor Guard; and musicians Daniel Dean and Jennell Morrison; and the Washington Rebels Jubilee Voices.

The pane of 20 stamps depicts 10 key figures of the Underground Railroad — freedom seekers and those who aided others’ escapes. The top third of each stamp features a sepia-toned portrait. Below it are several lines of text with the words: BLACK/WHITE, COOPERATION, TRUST/DANGER, FLIGHT/FAITH, COURAGE/RISK, DEFIANCE/HOPE, and UNDERGROUND RAILROAD/USA.

Alcalá designed the stamps using existing photographs.