Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff released the following statement on today’s Congressional Ceremony unveiling the USPS stamp in honor of the late Congressman John Lewis.
“Congressman Lewis was an American hero, a civil rights giant, and a revered Georgian. This stamp is a continuation of our collective national effort to magnify Congressman Lewis’ indelible legacy and monumental impact on American history.”
In 2021, Sen. Ossoff urged the U.S. Postal Services’ Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee to commemorate Congressman Lewis’ legacy with this honor. Following his push, USPS announced late last year they will honor Georgia’s civil rights giant on a stamp.
Sen. Ossoff began his career in public service working for Congressman Lewis. In 2021, Sen. Ossoff introduced and passed a bicameral resolution honoring the life and legacy of the late Congressman as his first piece of legislation.
“This stamp celebrates the life and legacy of civil rights leader and U.S. Rep. John Lewis (1940-2020) of Georgia,” the U.S. Postal Service wrote last year. “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 Aug. 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, MS. Derry Noyes served as art director for this project.”
