The United States Postal Service is ready for the holiday season.
Today in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the USPS unveiled the design for its tenth Kwanzaa stamp, which honors the Pan-African American holiday celebrated from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1 every year.
Kwanzaa originates from ancient and modern first-harvest celebrations occurring across the African continent, and continues to inform and affirm the contemporary cultures of African Americans.
“The Postal Service’s goal is to create stamps that resonate with people from all walks of life,” said Roderick Sallay, USPS director of legislative policy and strategy development.
“The issuance of this Kwanzaa stamp is a powerful symbol of the enduring principles of the holiday. It recognizes Kwanzaa’s ability to inspire and unite people through its emphasis on community, self-determination and collective responsibility. By placing these values on a stamp, we affirm their universal relevance and their potential to enrich our daily lives.”
During Kwanzaa every year, millions of African Americans gather with loved ones to honor the holiday’s seven founding principles: Unity (umoja), self-determination (kujichagulia), collective work and responsibility (ujima), cooperative economics (ujamaa), purpose (nia), creativity (kuumba), and faith (imani).
Partaking in long-held cultural traditions, those who celebrate Kwanzaa often see it as a time to rejoice in health, prosperity, and good luck in the coming year. It also makes space to contemplate past hardships and all the ways history can inform and impact the future.
And this year’s stamp — the tenth Kwanzaa stamp issued by the USPS since 1997 — is just one small way to add to that celebration.
The stamp was dedicated at a ceremony today at the Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh, in partnership with the Association for the Study of African American Life and History.
“The Association for the Study of African American Life and History commends the United States Postal Service for its recognition of the extreme cultural significance of Kwanzaa and its seven foundational principles,” said William M. Dulaney, the president of ASALH, at the ceremony.
“By its issuance of a holiday stamp that honors Pan-African family and culture, the USPS affirms its belief that diversity is America’s strength, and thereby invites all Americans to celebrate with us in late December.”
The ceremony also included the reveal of the stamp’s design, which features original artwork by Ekua Holmes.
Holmes was inspired by a live dance performance that she witnessed at a Kwanzaa event at the OrigiNation Cultural Arts Center. The stamp depicts three young performers who wear culturally significant clothing, including a colorful kufi and geometric pants with a cloth-like pattern.
The drummer, who takes center stage in the design, also plays a djembe drum, as two dancers complement the frame.
“The composition highlights the colors of the Pan-African flag — black, red, and green,” a press release from the USPS describes, “and West African designs on the floor, background, and the drummer’s pants.”
The Kwanzaa stamps are issued as a pane of 20 Forever stamps and are now available for purchase online, via mail, or at USPS locations nationwide for $14.60.
Header image courtesy of Askar Abayev/Pexels
