United States Postal Service, United States
October 2025
The United States Postal System has unveiled the 49th Black Heritage stamp featuring artwork by Kerry James Marshall. The stamp commemorates Phillis Wheatley (circa 1753-1784), the first author of African descent in the American Colonies to publish a book. As an enslaved woman with an education and prominent social connections, Wheatley occupied a unique and remarkable place in Colonial Boston, and she is often called “the mother of African American literature.”
“Phillis Wheatley-Peters, died, aged 31, a free woman of color, facing forward. The image I made for this stamp sought to memorialize her, as such. That is how I chose to commemorate her legacy.” —Kerry James Marshall, 2025
The stamps will be issued January 29, 2026, and available here.
You can learn more about upcoming 2026 stamps via the USPS.