John Lewis

First Day of Issue Date: July 21, 2023

First Day of Issue Location: Atlanta, GA

With this stamp, the U.S. Postal Service celebrates the life and legacy of civil rights leader and congressman John Lewis (1940–2020). Devoted to equality and justice for all Americans, Lewis spent more than 30 years in Congress steadfastly defending and building on key civil rights gains that he had helped achieve in the 1960s. Even in the face of hatred and violence, as well as some 45 arrests, Lewis remained resolute in his commitment to what he liked to call “good trouble.”

The stamp features a photograph of Lewis taken by Marco Grob on assignment for the August 26, 2013, issue of Time magazine. The selvage showcases a photograph of Lewis taken by Steve Schapiro in 1963 outside a workshop about nonviolent protest in Clarksdale, Mississippi.

A key figure in some of the most pivotal moments of the civil rights movement, Lewis was the face of the Nashville Student Movement, chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, an original Freedom Rider, and one of the keynote speakers at the 1963 March on Washington. He served as executive director of the Voter Education Project; as associate director of ACTION, the federal volunteer agency that oversaw the Peace Corps and VISTA; and as a member of the Atlanta City Council. He was also the best-selling author of several books, including the March comic book series and the inspiring autobiography, Walking with the Wind.

The defining moment of Lewis's life occurred on Sunday, March 7, 1965. Lewis and about 600 others intended to march from Selma, Alabama, to the state capitol in Montgomery, 50 miles away, in support of equal voting rights. As he and the other marchers reached the crest of the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma that day, they saw on the other side what Lewis later described as a “sea of blue”—Alabama state troopers, who ordered them to disperse. Instead, the demonstrators knelt in prayer. Through clouds of tear gas, the troopers advanced, trampling the marchers under horses and hitting them with nightsticks. Lewis, who was struck over the head and repeatedly beaten, crumpled to the ground with a fractured skull. That day became known as “Bloody Sunday.”

Broadcast on televisions nationwide, the brutal response to what was a peaceful, nonviolent demonstration helped galvanize public opposition to racial segregation. Just a week after Bloody Sunday, President Lyndon B. Johnson introduced the Voting Rights Act during a joint session of Congress. The landmark legislation, which strengthened the federal government’s ability to prevent state and local governments from denying citizens the right to vote because of race, was signed into law on August 6.

Elected to represent Georgia in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1986, Lewis garnered the support needed to pass the Civil Rights Act of 1991, sponsored the legislation that created the 54-mile-long Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail, and worked for more than a decade to establish the National Museum of African American History and Culture on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Hailed as the “conscience of the Congress,” he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, by President Barack Obama.

Derry Noyes served as art director for this stamp.

The John Lewis stamp is being issued as a Forever® stamp. This Forever stamp will always be equal in value to the current First-Class Mail® one-ounce price.

Sheet of 15 Stamps

$9.90

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Digital Color Postmark

Commemorate the legacy of a civil rights leader and congressman with this new John Lewis Digital Color Postmark First Day Cover. The #6 ¾ envelope bears an affixed Forever® stamp cancelled with an official First Day of Issue postmark.

Elected to represent Georgia in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1986, John Lewis spent more than 30 years in Congress steadfastly defending and building on key civil rights gains of the 1960s.

The digital color postmark includes a blue and white rendering of the dome of the U.S. Capitol Building encircled by red stars. Also included is the stamp title, as well as the date and location of stamp issuance: July 21, 2023, Atlanta, GA, 30304.

$2.06

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First Day Cover

Commemorate the legacy of a civil rights leader and congressman with this new John Lewis First Day Cover. The #6 ¾ envelope bears an affixed Forever® stamp cancelled with an official First Day of Issue postmark.

Devoted to equality and justice for all Americans, and a key figure in some of the most pivotal moments of the civil rights movement, Lewis spent more than 30 years in Congress steadfastly defending and building on key civil rights gains that he had helped achieve in the 1960s. Lewis was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, by President Barack Obama.

The postmark features the stamp name beneath an arc of stars, as well as the date and location of stamp issuance: July 21, 2023, Atlanta, GA, 30304.

$1.21

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Press Sheet with Die-Cuts

Honor civil rights leader and U.S. congressman John Lewis with this new 19.7(w) X 25.93(h)-inch press sheet, containing nine sheets of John Lewis Forever® stamps positioned three across by three down.

Elected to represent Georgia in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1986, John Lewis spent more than 30 years in Congress steadfastly defending and building on key civil rights gains of the 1960s.

$89.10

Purchase

Press Sheet without Die-Cuts

Honor civil rights leader and U.S. congressman John Lewis with this new 19.7(w) X 25.93(h)-press sheet, containing nine sheets of John Lewis Forever® stamps positioned three across by three down.*

Elected to represent Georgia in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1986, John Lewis spent more than 30 years in Congress steadfastly defending and building on key civil rights gains of the 1960s.

*The stamps on these sheets do not contain perforations for mail use.

$89.10

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Bookmark

Commemorate the legacy of civil rights leader and U.S. congressman John Lewis with this keepsake bookmark. The back of the bookmark bears an affixed Forever® stamp cancelled with an official First Day of Issue postmark. The perfect gift for book lovers everywhere.

$5.95

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Stamp Portfolio

Commemorate the legacy of civil rights leader and U.S. congressman John Lewis with this new keepsake stamp portfolio. The portfolio explores Lewis’s life and the impact of his work. Also included is a 5"(W) x 7"(H) collectible cancellation card and a mint pane of 15 John Lewis Forever® stamps.

$21.95

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Field Notes® Notebooks

Keep your notes organized with these pocket-size notebooks from the classic FIELD NOTES brand. The set of three 3.5"(W) x 5.5"(H) notebooks comes with a John Lewis Forever® stamp affixed to the cover and cancelled with the official First Day of Issue Postmark.

$14.95

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Matted Stamp

Commemorate the legacy of a civil rights leader and U.S. congressman with this new 5"(W) x 5"(H) matted John Lewis Forever® stamp that is ready to frame and display in your home and office.

$9.95

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Framed Stamp

Commemorate the legacy of civil rights leader and U.S. congressman John Lewis with this new 11.5(w) x 9.5(h)-inch framed piece, which features a black-and-white photograph of the stamp subject, plus a mounted John Lewis Forever® stamp and the First Day of Issue details.

Showcased in a classic blackframe, the piece also includes a clear dust cover, protective felt bumpers, and a sawtooth hanger on the back for easy display.

$29.95

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Stamp Ceremony Memento

Commemorate the legacy of a civil rights leader and U.S. congressman with this new John Lewis Stamp Ceremony Memento.

This new collectible contains the First Day of Issue Ceremony Invitation, the First Day of Issue Ceremony Program, one Digital Color Postmark First Day Cover, and a pane of 15 John Lewis Forever® stamps.

Elected to represent Georgia in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1986, John Lewis spent more than 30 years in Congress steadfastly defending and building on key civil rights gains of the 1960s.

$26.95

Purchase

U.S. Postal Service honors the late civil rights leader Rep. John Lewis with a stamp

www.npr.org

U.S. Postal Service announces stamp honoring late Rep. John Lewis

www.nbcnews.com

John Lewis

Stamp Brief

First Day of Issue Ceremony

Stamp Art Director

Derry Noyes