Winston-Salem State University (WSSU) joined with the U.S. Postal Service for a Women’s History Month event, which paid tribute to North Carolinian Anna Julia Cooper with a special stamp dedication, held on March 29 in WSSU’s Diggs Gallery.
Postmaster David Barcio , Chancellor Reaves (right) and Dr. Melody Pierce (far right), WSSU vice chancellor for students, unveil new commemorative stamp.
Cooper was a Raleigh native and noted educator, scholar and activist on the 19th and 20th centuries. She was also a mentor to WSSU founder Simon Green Atkins. Her image marks the 32nd entry in the U.S. Black Heritage Stamps series.
WSSU Chancellor Donald Julian Reaves and Postmaster David Barcio led a host of university, local and student dignitaries on hand to celebrate the life of Cooper, who left Saint Augustine’s College in 1884 for Washington, DC, and helped make its school system one of the best in the nation for African-American students. She later became the fourth African-American woman to earn a Ph.D. and the first to do so at the University of Paris Sorbonne. She wrote several books and articles and spoke publicly about inequalities in education, job opportunities and the justice system.
The stamps are now available at post offices nationwide and online at www.usps.com/shop
