Louisiana native and author Ernest Gaines to appear on U.S. stamp

By Associated Press

Novelist Ernest J. Gaines, whose poor childhood on a small Louisiana plantation inspired stories of Black struggles that grew into universal tales of grace and beauty, will be depicted on a U.S. postage stamp to be issued in January.

The stamp will be the 46th in the U.S. Postal Service’s Black Heritage series and will feature an oil painting, based on a photograph that portrays Gaines wearing his trademark beret, the University of Louisiana at Lafayette said in a news release Monday.

The acclaimed author, who died in November 2019 at age 86, was writer-in-residence emeritus at the university, where he taught creative writing from 1983 until his retirement in 2010.

“Dr. Gaines’ stamp offers an impressive representation of the man I knew and admired, and it reminds me of the immeasurable grace, strength and character he displayed throughout his life and through his words,” said Dr. Joseph Savoie, UL-Lafayette president.

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Previous Black Americans featured on postal stamps include Rosa Parks, one of the most notable names of the Civil Rights Movement.

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