*Bestselling author Toni Morrison, who died in 2019 at the age of 88, has been honored with a U.S. Postal Service Forever stamp.
Family, friends, fans of the beloved scholar gathered at Princeton’s Richardson Auditorium in Alexander Hall on March 7 to celebrate the Toni Morrison Commemorative Forever stamp.
The stamp dedication ceremony included a video message from Oprah Winfrey and a letter from former President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama that was read by Ruha Benjamin, professor of African American studies, per a news release from Princeton University.
“We’re honored to join Toni Morrison’s family and everyone gathered here in celebrating one of the world’s greatest storytellers,” the Obamas wrote in their letter. “Toni told fundamental truths about our country and the human condition. But she didn’t just reflect what was true. She helped generations of Black Americans reimagine what was possible. That’s why we return to her stories again and again, finding new meaning each time.”
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Toni Morrison, the acclaimed author who became the first African American woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, will be memorialized on a Forever stamp, which was unveiled Tuesday by the United States Postal Service. https://t.co/CTmbFCo4x5 pic.twitter.com/uexR0B12Po
— The New York Times (@nytimes) March 8, 2023
In her video tribute, Winfrey said “Toni Morrison’s books are in so many of our homes and abide in our hearts because she served as a catalyst for generations of readers over the years to understand the power of reading and words.”
According to the news release, Morrison was the most featured author in Oprah’s Book Club.
“Throughout her life, she was a transformative presence who inspired those around her, and Princeton continues to reflect the remarkable effects of her legacy,” said University President Christopher L. Eisgruber in his opening remarks at the ceremony.
Per the school’s news release: “Morrison joined the Princeton faculty in 1989 as the Robert F. Goheen Professor in the Humanities at Princeton and was a member of the University’s creative writing program until she transferred to emeritus status in 2006.”
Morrison was chosen as a subject for a Forever stamp as someone who has “made extraordinary and enduring contributions to American society,” according to a spokesperson for the U.S. Postal Service.
“One of the goals of our stamp program is to raise awareness and celebrate the people who represent the very best of our nation,” said Pritha Mehra, USPS chief information officer and executive vice president. “It’s a privilege to represent the 650,000 men and women of the Postal Service, as we honor Toni Morrison with one more tribute — our new stamp that will be seen by millions and forever remind us of the power of her words and the ideas she brought to the world.”
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