• Martin Luther King, Jr.
  On August 28, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech to some 2500 supporters in Washington, DC. He eloquently described his faith in equality, justice and freedom for all.

• Kwanzaa
  Kwanzaa, a variation of the Swahili word for "first", is a seven day holiday observed by many Black Americans. It begins each December 26 and ends January 1. Each day celebrates a different principle: umoja or unity, kujichagulia or self-determination, ujima or collective work and responsibility, ujamaa or cooperative economics, nia or purpose, ukuumba or creativity, and imani or faith.

• Jesse Owens
  Six World Records: On the afternoon of May 25, 1935, Ohio State University's track star Jesse Owens was credited with setting 5 world records and tying another. The following year he earned 4 gold medals in international competition at Berlin.

• Jazz Flourishes
  Created in the Unites States, jazz was spread by radio and recordings in the 1920s. Among the leading performers were Louis Armstrong, Jelly Roll Morton, Joe "King" Oliver, Fletcher Henderson, and Bix Beiderbecke. The stamp art is based on two photographs and live models.

• George Washington Carver
  Botanist George Washington Carver improved the economy of the South by demonstrating the commercial possibilities of peanuts and sweet potatoes. His "Movable School" educated impoverished farmers.

• Madam C.J. Walker
  Madam C.J. Walker was an early 20th century beauty product pioneer and one of the nation's first female millionaires. "Madam C.J. Walker realized her dreams of business success by relying upon a unique combination of steadfast determination and entrepreneurial spirit....Using her success for the good of others, she earned a reputation as a philanthropist to African-American institutions such as the NAACP, Tuskegee Institute, and Bethune-Cookman College.

• Malcolm X (El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz)
  The 22nd stamp in the Black Heritage series honors Malcolm X, one of the most influential African-American leaders of the 1960s. His controversial ideas sharpened America's debate about racial relations and strategies for social change. Born Malcolm Little in 1925, Malcolm X became the most visible spokesperson for the Nation of Islam in the early 1960s. He later broke away from the organization, disavowed his earlier separatist preaching and supported a more integrationist solution to racial problems. Under the name El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz, he attempted to organize an independent movement to put his new ideas into effect. On Feb. 21, 1965, he was shot to death while giving a speech to his followers in Harlem. The photograph featured on the stamp was taken by the Associated Press at a press conference in New York City on May 21, 1964.