Charles Waddell Chesnutt
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Essayist, folklorist and novelist Chesnutt is the 31st honoree in the popular commemorative stamp series. He was the first African-American fiction writer to earn national acclaim and is best known for his depictions of the African-American experience before and after the Civil War.
Chesnutt was born in Cleveland, OH, in 1858. The son of free blacks, he was raised in Fayetteville, NC, which became a major setting of Chesnutt’s fiction. The pioneering writer is recognized as a major innovator and singular voice among turn-of-century literary realists who probed the color line in American life.
Shown above, ASALH National President Dr. John Fleming, UNC Charlotte Professor Sandra Govan, USPS Community Relations Manager Roy Betts and UNC Charlotte Chancellor Dr. Philip Dubois preview the 2008 Black Heritage Stamp.
The stamp goes on sale in January.
For more on Chesnutt, click here.
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