Last month, Learning, Development and Diversity held a contest to encourage post offices across Alabama to promote Black History Month and the new John H. Johnson stamp.
Here are the guidelines that were announced in L,D&D's online newsletter:
John H. Johnson, legendary publisher of Ebony, Jet, and other magazines, is being honored on a Black Heritage forever stamp. To increase revenue and have fun in the process, we are having a contest. The office with the most creative Black Heritage Stamp display will receive a prize. Displays will be judged on creativity and neatness.
An impartial committee reviewed all of the entries, and they concluded that the winner is the Carrollton Post Office.
Carrollton Postmaster Paul Lavender (l) presented Clerk Kim Spencer with a $25 gift card from L,D&D. Kim volunteered to design the winning board.
"I saw that the stamp was coming out and thought that it was a good idea," Kim said. "Many customers have said how nice it is, and I know that we've sold some stamps because of it."
While we were there to talk to Paul and Kim, we couldn't help but notice the New Deal mural that was on a nearby wall in the lobby. It is one of only 24 Alabama WPA/New Deal post office murals. Artist Stuart R. Purser painted "Farm Scene with Senator Bankhead" in 1943.
During the course of his long artistic career, Purser's disdain for injustices done to both people and animals was voiced in his work. Opposed to racial inequalities as well as the abuses of dog fighting, he received threats from the groups of people his paintings exposed.
In total, Purser painted four post office murals in Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana. To see them all and to learn more about him, click here.
Senator John H. Bankhead, Jr., was an Alabama senator from 1931 - 1946 who must not have aged gracefully because he is much better looking on Purser's mural than he is in this photograph to the left.
Bankhead had been responsible for securing funds for the Carrollton federal building/post office to be built and is primarily remembered for two things: his strong support of farmers, and his staunch opposition to civil rights.
The citizens of Carrollton selected Bankhead on a farm as the theme for their mural, but perhaps if artist Purser had known about the senator's racist views, he would have portrayed him in a less-pleasing manner.
Nonetheless, we're glad that we got to see him as depicted by Purser thanks to Kim and her big win. Congrats, and we hope to visit again soon.
