In honor of Black History Month, the United States Postal Service chose Indianapolis for the dedication ceremony of a new Black Heritage stamp honoring a poet.
The ceremony was held Wednesday at the Indianapolis Fire Department Union Hall.
The 49th stamp in the Black Heritage Series honors Phillis Wheatley.
She is the first author of African descent in the American colonies to publish a book. She was enslaved by merchant John Wheatley and educated in his household in Boston.
She started composing her own poems at the age of 11. She was freed from slavery in 1773 and her later poems reflected support for the American Revolution.
Indianapolis Fire Chief Ernest Malone reflected on her importance in history.
"Her work not only impacted the people around her at that time in history as she was an example of what people of color had the capacity to do if they were just given a chance," Malone said in part.
There was once a YMCA named after Phillis Wheatley in Indianapolis, but it closed in 1959.
The stamp is available at post office branches and online.
Learn more here.
