Charles Waddell Chesnutt will be immortalized on a stamp in the popular Black Heritage commemorative stamp series issued by the U.S. Postal Service. He is considered the first African-American writer to receive major acclaim. He made an important breakthrough when his short story, "The Goophered Grapevine," appeared in the August 1887 issue of Atlantic Monthly.
The stamp will be dedicated Thursday, Jan. 31, in an 11 a.m. ceremony at the Cleveland Public Library. Chesnutt, a distinguished writer recognized as a major innovator and singular voice among turn-of-the-century literary realists, will become the 31st person inducted into the series.
