# 5471-74 - 2020 First-Class Forever Stamps - Voices of Harlem

US #5471-74
2020 Voices of the Harlem Renaissance

• Issued for the 100th anniversary of the Harlem Renaissance
• Celebrate four major literary figures of the movement

Stamp Category: Commemorative
Value: 55¢ First Class Mail Rate (Forever)
First Day of Issue: May 21, 2020
First Day City: New York, New York
Quantity Issued: 16,000,000
Printed by: Banknote Corporation of America
Printing Method: Offset
Format: Panes of 20
Tagging: Phosphor, Block Tag

Why the stamps were issued: To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Harlem Renaissance, its contributions to literature and the arts, and the growing influence of Black Americans on culture.

About the stamp designs: Each pictures a pastel portrait of a well-known literary figure from the Harlem Renaissance: Alain Locke, Nella Larsen, Arturo Alfonso Schomburg, and Anne Spencer. Art by Gary Kelley.

Special design details: The backgrounds of each stamp include African-inspired symbols and themes. The selvage of the pane of 20 includes the silhouette of a city with the sun in the middle.

First Day City: The First Day of Issue Ceremony for these stamps was cancelled due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. The First Day Cancel was from New York, New York, the city known as the very center of the Harlem Renaissance.

History the stamp represents: In 2020, the United States Postal Service celebrated the 100th anniversary of the Harlem Renaissance with the release of four new Forever stamps. The stamps picture four famous figures from the time period: Nella Larsen, Arturo Schomburg, Anne Spencer, and Alain Locke. Each played a part in the cultural movement and left behind their writings for future generations to have a lasting memory of African American culture of the time.

The Harlem Renaissance was an intellectual, social, and artistic movement. It took place from around 1918 through the mid-1930s, though the most influential period was the 1920s. It began in the Manhattan neighborhood of Harlem, and spread from there, though Harlem was always at the “center.” The Harlem Renaissance represented a revival of African American history, values, and traditions that had been all but eliminated during the Civil War and Reconstruction periods. Back then, it was referred to as the “New Negro Movement,” after Alain Locke’s The New Negro. This anthology was a collection of writings by many prominent African Americans of the time. It was published in 1925.

Thanks to the Harlem Renaissance, people from all races began to stand up and take notice of the wonders of African American culture. The surge in new music, entertainment, and writings did not stop there, and their influences are still felt today.