U.S. Postal Service To Host Dedication Ceremony In Honor of Gwen Ifill Forever Stamp

An honor fit for a queen.

The U.S. Postal Service is hosting a ceremony to commemorate the launch of the Gwen Ifill Forever Stamp, The Root reports.

Last year, the USPS announced the commemorative stamp to honor the trailblazing journalist. Ifill passed away in 2016 at the age of 61 and was known for her political commentary, on air correspondence, and becoming one of the first Black women to anchor a major news program. 

Ifill’s Forever Stamp is the 43rd stamp in the USPS Black Heritage collection, a collection that honors Black Americans who have made significant contributions to the culture and include other cultural figures like Ida B. Wells and Sojourner Truth. 

The legendary journalist has received a number of honors including Harvard’s Joan Shorenstein Center’s Goldsmith Career Award for Excellence in Journalism in 2009, an induction into the National Association of Black Journalists Hall of Fame in 2012 and a posthumous renaming of a school in her honor, the Gwen Ifill College of Media, Arts and Humanities. 

The Forever Stamp features a photo of Ifill taken in 2008 by photographer Robert Severi, designed by Derry Noyes who served as the artistic director. Forever Stamps can be used in perpetuity, even if postal rates increase. The Black Heritage collection features a number of prominent musicians, politicians and artists. 

The dedication ceremony to honor Ifill is set to take place in Washington, DC on January 30, 2020 and is free and open to the public. You can learn more by following the hashtag #GwenIfillForever and RSVP for the ceremony here. 

Thank you for your contributions Ms.Ifill. You are deeply missed.

Photo Courtesy of PBS NewsHour