The U.S. Postal Service honored educator Anna Julia Cooper with the 32nd collectible postage stamp in its popular Black Heritage commemorative stamps series.

On 11 June, 2009, the U.S. Postal Service added another collectible postage stamp to its Black Heritage commemorative stamps series with their dedication of the 44-cent Anna Julia Cooper stamp. Cooper, a noted African-American educator, appears on the 32nd stamp in the popular Black Heritage stamp series.

The Life and Works of Anna Julia Cooper

According to the official USPS Press Release for the Cooper stamp, Anna Julia Haywood (later Anna Julia Cooper) was born a slave in 1858 in Raleigh, North Carolina.

After unexpectedly losing her husband, George Cooper, in 1879, Anna enrolled at Oberlin College in Ohio. Upon graduating from Oberlin with a degree in mathematics, Anna Julia Cooper became an educator at high schools in Raleigh and Washington, D.C., eventually becoming the principal of M Street High School in Washington, D.C. (now known as Dunbar High School).

In 1892, Cooper published A Voice from the South by a Black Woman of the South, in which she examined the plight of African-Americans and encouraged them to seek high-quality education.

A firm believer in higher education, Cooper continued her teaching and administrative duties in various prestigious high schools and universities through most of her life. She also continued her education, studying as a doctoral student at Columbia University and the Sorbonne in Paris. Cooper became the fourth African-American woman to earn a Ph.D. and the first black woman to earn a Ph.D. from the Sorbonne.

Anna Julia Cooper died on 27 February, 1964 at her home in Washington, D.C.

USPS Anna Julia Cooper Black Heritage Stamp

As seen in USA Philatelic: Beyond the Perf, Issue 016, with the Anna Julia Cooper issue, the USPS continued its design scheme featuring color portraits for the Black Heritage series. Kadir Nelson created the portrait for the Cooper stamp.