2022 First-Class Forever Stamp,Title IX: Gymnast

US #5670
2022 Gymnast – Title IX

• One of four stamps celebrating the 50th anniversary of Title IX

Stamp Category:  Commemorative

Set:  Title IX
Value:  First Class Mail Rate (Forever)
First Day of Issue:  March 3, 2022
First Day City:  Washington, DC
Quantity Issued:  30,000,000
Printed by:  Ashton Potter (USA) Ltd.
Printing Method:  Offset
Format:  Panes of 20
Tagging:  Nonphosphored type III, block tag

Why the stamp was issued:  To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the passing of the civil rights law known as Title IX.

About the stamp design:  Pictures a dark blue silhouettes of a female gymnast adorned with yellow laurel branches symbolizing victory.  The stamp was designed by artist Melinda Beck.

First Day City:  The First Day of Issue Ceremony was held at the US Department of Education in Washington, DC, an appropriate choice given that Title IX was passed as a clause in the Education Amendments of 1972.

About the Title IX set:  Four stamp designs picturing silhouettes of female athletes all crowned with yellow laurel branches representing victory.  The designs represent the idea that Title IX has allowed talented female athletes to compete fairly and without discrimination based on their gender.

History the stamp represents:  Dominique Margaux Dawes is considered one of the greatest American gymnasts in history.  She was a 10-year member of the US National Gymnastics team and is also a three-time Olympian.  She is best known for her gold medal win as part of the “Magnificent Seven” team at the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympic Games.  She was the first female gymnast to be part of three Olympic medal-winning teams since Ludmilla Tourischeva in 1968.

Dawes began learning gymnastics at just six years old, and won her first competition three years later.  She was competing at junior elite level by the time she was 10, and attended her first international meet at 12.  From then on, Dawes continued to move up in national and international competitions.  She also became a crowd favorite.

Though Dawes officially retired from competing in 2000, she continued to be heavily involved in the sport.  In fact, she served as president of the Women’s Sports Federation from 2004 to 2006, the youngest in history to do so.  She also became an advocate for Title IX, a policy she said helped her greatly over the years through its scholarship programs.  She was invited to the White House by President Obama for the law’s 37th anniversary, joining discussions about the policy’s future.