Author Richard Wright honored by U.S.Postal Service

With fellow South Side of Chicago roots, I could not ignore the opportunity to tell you about the new stamp honoring, author Richard Wright.

As a young adult, I read his books, Black Boy and Native Son. His writings are a timeless window into the the effects of racial prejudice; a must read for anyone who dares to learn more.

I am proud that Wright has been chosen to be honored with a stamp by the U.S. Postal Service. And if I was a stamp collector, I would promise to get one. However, since I'm not, I will settle for the pride of knowing that a well-deserving individual has been honored:

"Mississippi made him, but Chicago made him a writer. It was Chicago—with its bright churn of possibilities and its darker realities—that transformed Richard Wright from a shy Southern kid into a popular and internationally acclaimed author.

Chicago broke his heart, but it gave him his mission: to illuminate the dehumanizing effects of racial prejudice in 20th Century America.

That is why, according to officials at the U.S. Postal Service, when a new stamp honoring Richard Wright (1908-1960) was commissioned, they decided that the stamp's background simply had to be the South Side of Chicago, where Wright lived and worked during a crucial, formative decade.

And when a location was needed for the public ceremony Thursday at which the stamp will be unveiled, that was a snap: Again, it had to be Chicago." Source: The Chicago Tribune