SCOTT #3329 JAMES CAGNEY 33 CENT

     James Cagney (1899-1986) is one of the screen's most memorable stars. This dynamic and versatile actor is particularly remembered for his portrayal of the quintessential tough guy and for his Oscar-winning performance (below) as entertainer George M. Cohan in "Yankee Doodle Dandy". He appeared in more than 60 films and received the American Film Institute Life Achievement Award, the Kennedy Center Honor, and the Medal of Freedom.





                          

SCOTT # 3896 MARIAN ANDERSON 37 STAMP

     Marian Anderson (1897-1993) was one of the greatest classically trained singers of the 20th century and a central figure in the struggle of black Americans for racial equality. She performed internationally, singing a varied repertoire in her rich contralto.

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SCOTT #3936 ARTHUR ASHE 37 CENT STAMP

     Arthur Ashe (1943-1993) takes his place among the finest tennis players of the 20th century. The first African-American man to win Grand Slam tennis tournaments. Ashe became well known for his humanitarian commitments to the underprivileged and to victims of Aids.




                       

SCOTT #4336-40 BLACK CINEMA 42 CENT

     Vivid reminders of a bygone era, these vintage movie posters highlight various facets of the African-America culture experience as represented in early film. Whether spotlighting the talents of entertainment icons or documenting changing social attitudes and expectations, these posters now serve a greater purpose than publicity and promotion. They have become invaluable pieces of history, preserving memories of culture phenomena that otherwise might have been forgotten.






                           

  

SCOTT #4463 KATE SMITH 44 CENT

      Celebrated singer and entertainer Kate Smith (1907-1986) was a radio and later television star, popular for her homespun personality as well as her singing. During  World War ll, polls ranked her as one of the most important women in America.
      She was best known for her rendition of Irving Berlin's God Bless America.





                       

SCOTT #4721 FREEDOM FOREVER STAMP

     I do order and declare that all persons held as slaves whitin said designated States and parts of States, are, and henceforward shall be  free....
     With these words in the Emancipation Proclamation, issued on January 1, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln declared more than three million African-American slaves to be free.



                      

SCOTT #4804 EQUALITY 1963 MARCH ON WASHINGTON FOREVER STAMP

     Early in the morning of August 28, 1963, hours before the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom was ro begin, Courtland Cox, a top official from the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, walked to the still-deserted National Mall with the chief organizer of the march, Bayard Rustin. In the quiet. as mist rose from the reflectin pool, Cox turned to Rustin, and said "Do you think anybody's coming".
     They came. They arrived by bus, train, and car. That day some 250,000 people joined one another in the hope and belief that change was possible.
    Dr. Martin Luther King made his famous speech. "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal".




                

SCOTT #4742 COURAGE ROSA PARKS FOREVER STAMP

   Rosa Parks (1913-2005) became an inspiring, iconic figure of the civil rights movement with one quiet act of courage. On the evening of Thursday, December 1, 1955, after working all day, she was arrested in Montgomery, Alabama, for refusing to give up her seat on a municipal bus to a white man. Discriminatory laws in effect at that time required black passengers to sit in the rear section of the bus and to surrender their seats to white passengers on demand.





                     

SCOTT #3082 JAMES DEAN 32 CENT

     In a brief but brilliant career, the actor James Dean (1932-1955) spoke for millions of American teenagers as the misunderstood youth in East of Eden and Rebel Without a Cause. His statue grew mythic after he died in a car crash, shortly before his final film, Giant, was competed.





                         

SCOTT #2967 MARILYN MONROE 32 CENT

     Few other actresses personified the phrase "Hollywood movie star" as did Marilyn Monroe (1926-1962). Classically beautiful, Marilyn set the motion picture standard for glamour and sensuality in film favorites such as Some Like It Hot, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Bus Stop, and The Seven Year Itch.






                     

SCOTT #3870 R. BUCKMINSTER FULLER 37 CENT

     Renowned as the mind behind the geodesic dome, R. Buckminster Fuller (1895-1963) was an inventor, architect, engineer, designer, and philosopher. His pioneering solutions to the world's problems reflected his commitment to using innovative design to improve human lives.





                         

SCOTT #4979 MAYA ANGELOU FOREVER STAMP

     Author, poet, actress, and champion of civil rights Dr. Maya Angelou (1928-2014) was one of the most dynamic voices in all of the 20th-century American literature. The book "I know why the Caged Bird Sings", an autobiographical account of her childhood, gained wide acclaim for its vivid depiction of African-American life in the South.





                         

SCOTT #4805 BATTLE OF LAKE ERIE FOREVER STAMP

     The Battle of Lake Erie on September 10, 1813 produced an American naval hero, Oliver Hazard Perry, and helped the United States take back territory lost to the British forces in the opening months of the war.





                        

SCOTT #4789 JOHNNY CASH FOREVER STAMP

     Johnny Cash (1932-2003) known to many as the Man in Black--sang of love, loss, hardship, and faith, telling the story of the nation one person at a time. Best remembered internationally as a country music artist with an unmistakable bass-baritone voice, Cash also influenced folk, gospel, rock, and other genres.
     His many hits include "I Walk The Line" and " Folsom Prison Blues".





                     

                      

SCOTT #4807 RAY CHARLES FOREVER STAMP

     Ray Charles (1930-2004) was a musician beyond category. This extraordinary singer-pianist, blind since childhood, blended blues, gospel,country, jazz and soul music in a unique pop music style. Some of his top hits are, "I've Got a Woman", Georgia On My Mind" and "I Can't Stop Loving You".





                       

SCOTT #4880 JIMI HENDRIX FOREVER STAMPS

     Considered to be the greatest rock guitarist of all time, Jimi Hendrix was one of the most important musicians of the 20th century. Combing influences from rock, jazz. soul, and the blues with his own innovations.




                     

SCOTT #909-21 OVERRUN COUNTRIES 5 CENT 1943-44

     During World War ll the Axis Powers, headed by Germany, Italy and Japan, overran many of the allied countries and others friendly to the Allied cause. In order to publicize our sympathy for these nations, and our desire to liberate their people, the U.S. Post Office Dept. awarded the contract for multi-color printings of these 13 stamps to the American Bank Note Co.--the first time a private firm had printed U.S. stamps since 1894.