Brooklyn Celebrates Anna Julia Cooper

With the Issuance of 32nd Stamp in Black Heritage Series

What:
Anna Julia Cooper 2nd Day Stamp Celebration

Who:
Vito J. Cetta, USPS, District Manager/Executive-In-Charge, Triboro
Marty Markowitz, Brooklyn Borough President.
Ralph Moccio, USPS, Manager, Customer Relations, Triboro
Joseph Chiossine, Postmaster, Brooklyn

When:
Tuesday, June 16, 2009 at 1:00 p.m.

Where:
Brooklyn Borough Hall
209 Joraleman Street
Brooklyn, New York 11201

Background:
With the 32nd stamp in its Black Heritage series, Brooklyn Postal Officials in conjunction with the Borough of Brooklyn will honor Anna Julia Cooper, an educator, scholar, feminist, and activist who gave voice to the African–American community during the 19th and 20th centuries, from the end of slavery to the beginning of the Civil Rights movement. The stamp features a portrait of Cooper created by Kadir Nelson of San Diego, California, who based his painting on an undated photograph.

Born in Raleigh, NC, Cooper earned a degree in mathematics from Oberlin College, OH, in 1884, becoming one of the first African-American women to graduate from the school. Cooper returned to Raleigh and taught math, Greek, and Latin at St. Augustine’s until 1887, when she was invited to teach math and science at the Preparatory High School for Colored Youth (later known as M Street and today as Dunbar High School) in Washington, D.C., the largest and most prestigious public high school for African Americans in the nation.

In Washington, D.C., Cooper helped establish local organizations for women, young people and the poor that addressed a range of issues including education, housing and unemployment. Cooper also used public speaking as a platform for change. In 1893, she spoke about the needs of African-American women at the Chicago World’s Fair, and she was one of only two African-American women to address the first Pan-African Conference in London in 1900.