US Postal Service celebrates Black History Month with new stamp

Stamp honoring Gregory Hines featured at Roanoke event

ROANOKE, Va. – The United States Postal Service held their annual celebration of Black History Month in Roanoke on Sunday.

The event at William Fleming High School honored tap dancer Gregory Hines, who is the subject of this year's Black Heritage stamp. It featured musical performances paying tribute to Hines, who died in 2003.

"Stamp collection is a form of education for me," said Floyd County resident Alisha Childress. "I hope that it continues. I think it's just another way of learning and a creative way to get information out there."

The Postal Service also invited people to speak about Roanoke's unique black history, including former Negro League Baseball player Larry LeGrande and historian George Bowles.

"I grew up in the Roanoke Valley," said United States Postal Service official Cynthia Coles. "I got to see a lot of the changes that some of our young people today just don't know about."

"History is not just one item," Bowles added. "It's like a puzzle, a multitude of items that all come together."
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