A postage stamp honoring the late Georgia Congressman John Lewis is now on sale by the United States Postal Service. Atlanta State Representative Billy Mitchell believes it's not only a good investment financially, but a great honor to bestow upon the Civil Rights icon.
The John Lewis Commemorative Forever Stamp First Day of Issue ceremony was held Friday at Morehouse College. Lewis' son John-Miles was in attendance, along with Georgia's two U.S. Senators, Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock.
Immediate past President of the the National Black Caucus of State Legislators, Rep. Mitchell was in Washington D.C. on June 21, 2023, when the Lewis stamp was unveiled at the U.S. Capitol. "It was an honor to be invited he says." Mitchell's reaction upon initially seeing the stamp? He says that he was immediately reminded of a photo he'd taken with Lewis in which the highly-respected leader smiled plenty. Yet on the stamp, "His stance takes on the serious connotation that he took of serving," says Mitchell.
"We need to make certain that his legacy lives on and on," says Mitchell, adding "this is one of the ways we do that."
Congressman Lewis was 80 years old when he died in 2020 after battling pancreatic cancer.