Ghana Honors Gates In Special Postage Stamp

Henry Louis Gates Jr., DuBois Professor of Humanities, will have a good reason to smile the next time he gets mail from Ghana.

Gates and several other black literary figures are being honored on a series of Ghanaian and Ugandan postage stamps with their pictures on them.

The Gates stamps will be released today by Ghana and are available for sale around the world. Part of the proceeds from sales in Ghana will be used to support literacy in the African country.

The proceeds from stamps sold in the U.S. will go to Baltimore Reads, an empowerment-through-literacy program.

K. Anthony Appiah, acting chair of the Afro-American Studies Department, said he was extremely happy for his colleague and friend.

"I'm delighted as a Ghanaian," said Appiah. "I think it's great. My mother will use [the stamps] for all her letters. Also, [Gates] is my best friend."

Ghana is honoring six writers. Besides Gates, Maya Angelou, Alex Haley, Charles Johnson, Richard Wright and Toni Cade Bambara will each have their own stamp. In a separate series, Uganda will issue stamps of Rita Dove, Mari Evans, Sterling A. Brown, Stephen Henderson, Zora Neale Hurston and June Jordan.

The issue is being organized by a New York-based postal agency, Inter-Governmental Philatelic Corp. (IGPC), along with the Smithsonian Institution's Center for African-American History and Culture and Howard University's African-American Resource Center.

The postage series was the brainchild of E. Ethelbert Miller, director of the African-American Resource Center at Howard University.

"I've been working on this [project] since March," Miller said. "I was traveling in the Middle East. In Bahrain, I read a newspaper article about IGPC. There were pictures of stamps of Sylvester Stallone, President Reagan, and I thought, 'why not African-American writers?"

Miller, who was in charge of selecting the candidates for the postage series, said that he sought a range of black literary figures to grace the stamps.

"I tried not to have a list of 'usual suspects'" he said. "I knew I wanted critics, writers, poets--the full spectrum."

In Miller's view, including Gates "was an easy choice."

"When I look at African-American literature, I see him as a major player. When I look at where African-American literary criticism is going, I see him shaping it. I couldn't ignore him," he said.

"He was most humble," Miller said of Gates' reaction when he asked for permission to use his profile. "He was really surprised to be chosen--but he was at the top of my list."

The United States does not issue stamps of a person until 10 years after his or her death. However, Miller said that there were advantages to using living profiles, also noting that the sale of the stamps would have an important legacy.

"There's a nice continuity [in celebrating both living and deceased writers]--it shows writers going out in the world, influencing the next generation." Miller said.

IGPC, which markets stamp ideas to 70 countries, usually takes two to three years to develop a stamp series. According to Lonnie Ostrow, head of IGPC media relations, developing this black literary figure series in under one year was "an exception because it was long overdue."

This morning at 10 a.m. at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. there will be an issuing ceremony including a stamp unveiling by the living honorees and family members for the deceased honorees.

Gates will be the one living honoree not present at the ceremony.

Miller said that Gates wrote a statement that will be read at the ceremony.

"Gates wrote that he was humbled by the whole experience and is happy that it's happening. He never thought it would happen to him, and he particularly enjoys the Africa connection," Miller said.

Fittingly enough, Gates is in Ghana until November 23. Gates is currently narrating a film, Wonders of the African World, for BBC television, to be released in England in early 1999.

"I think it's a nice touch," Miller said. "He'll be in Ghana when his stamp comes out."

Gate's stamp can be ordered by calling 1-888-STAMP-97. A pack of 12 stamps sell

"When I look at African-American literature, I see him as a major player. When I look at where African-American literary criticism is going, I see him shaping it. I couldn't ignore him," he said.

"He was most humble," Miller said of Gates' reaction when he asked for permission to use his profile. "He was really surprised to be chosen--but he was at the top of my list."

The United States does not issue stamps of a person until 10 years after his or her death. However, Miller said that there were advantages to using living profiles, also noting that the sale of the stamps would have an important legacy.

"There's a nice continuity [in celebrating both living and deceased writers]--it shows writers going out in the world, influencing the next generation." Miller said.

IGPC, which markets stamp ideas to 70 countries, usually takes two to three years to develop a stamp series. According to Lonnie Ostrow, head of IGPC media relations, developing this black literary figure series in under one year was "an exception because it was long overdue."

This morning at 10 a.m. at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. there will be an issuing ceremony including a stamp unveiling by the living honorees and family members for the deceased honorees.

Gates will be the one living honoree not present at the ceremony.

Miller said that Gates wrote a statement that will be read at the ceremony.

"Gates wrote that he was humbled by the whole experience and is happy that it's happening. He never thought it would happen to him, and he particularly enjoys the Africa connection," Miller said.

Fittingly enough, Gates is in Ghana until November 23. Gates is currently narrating a film, Wonders of the African World, for BBC television, to be released in England in early 1999.

"I think it's a nice touch," Miller said. "He'll be in Ghana when his stamp comes out."

Gate's stamp can be ordered by calling 1-888-STAMP-97. A pack of 12 stamps sell