Muhammad Ali and Phillis Wheatly
Unveiling in Lawnside, New Jersey

Staff members for local USPS

Stamp Unveiling Ceremony – Muhammad Ali and Phillis Wheatley.

Enduring Black Excellence in the 21st Century

In September of 2025, ESPER members Sharon Suber and Claudia Tucker-Keto had a conversation about hosting a stamp celebration once the 2026 Black stamp was announced for the first quarter. To our surprise, in October, the USPS announced two stamps honoring Muhammad Ali, boxer, activist and humanitarian known as the "Greatest" and Phillis Wheatley, the first published author of African descent in the American colonies.

Suber and Tucker-Keto decided to host the event in historic Lawnside, New Jersey. The stamp celebration would coincide with Lawnside’s 100th anniversary as the first independent, incorporated Black governed community in New Jersey.

The host organizations included ESPER, The National Association of University Women- Southern New Jersey Branch (NAUW-SNJB). NAUW is a professional women’s organization, founded in 1910 and the Southern New Jersey Branch was established in 2013. The African American Inventors' Museum (AAIM). AAIM is a museum committed to honoring and celebrating the ingenuity and creativity of African American Inventors throughout history.

The program was held at the Wayne Bryant Community Center in Lawnside, New Jersey on Saturday, March 7, 2026. More than 200 persons were in attendance. Representing ESPER were members from New York, Northern New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware. Clarence McKnight setup up an outstanding stamp display. NAUW representatives were from Branches in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware.

Included in the program were two students from local high schools. Mia Beckham, a junior at Williamstown High School, who shared her thoughts in an essay entitled “Reflections on Phillis Wheatley,” and Nathan Chapman, a junior at Cherry Hill East High School, who shared his thoughts in an essay entitled “Reflections on Muhammad Ali.”

The Lawnside Postmaster Abubakari Seidu, and Glendora Postmaster Telyna Hope Jenkins (ESPER member) represented the U.S. Postal Service and were available to sell the stamps and other commemorative items. Supporters of the event included: the Borough of Lawnside, the Lawnside Historical Society, the New Jersey Historical Commission, the NAACP Camden East Branch, the Cherry Hill African American Civic Association (CHAACA), Philadelphia Chapter of the Pierians; Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., New Jersey Garden City Alumnae Chapter.

The Cherry Hill African American Civic Association (CHAACA) presented a Proclamation to the Mayor of Cherry Hill where Muhammad Ali lived for several year and the Mayor declared March 7th as “Muhammad Ali Day” in Cherry Hill.