A stamp of approval for pioneering Black sculptor Edmonia Lewis in Roxbury

Members of ESPER (The Ebony Society of Philatelic Events and Reflections), also called the African American Stamp Society, put Edmonia Lewis Forever stamps on envelopes during the first-day-of-issue event for the latest U.S. Postal Service stamp at the Smithsonian American Art Museum on January 26, 2022 in Washington, DC. Anna Moneymaker/Getty

The prolific Black and Native American sculptor Edmonia Lewis, recently honored with a US Postage stamp, is set to be celebrated by local women’s groups this Saturday as part of Women’s History Month in Boston.

The Greater Boston Section of the National Council of Negro Women, Suffrage100MA, and the US Postal Service have joined together to plan the public celebration set for 2 p.m. at the Reggie Lewis Center in Roxbury. Admission is free.

Edmonia Lewis, who lived for a time in Boston, became the 45th honoree in the Black Heritage Stamp series when the postal service issued her stamp in January. The milestone is ideal to celebrate during Women’s History Month, said Lisa Braxton, president of the Greater Boston Section of the National Council of Negro Women.

“This is the best time to get people’s attention about the contribution that Edmonia Lewis has made to history, to art, and to our society,” she said in an interview.

Speakers for the celebration are Democratic State Representative Chynah Tyler of Roxbury; L’Merchie Frazier, director of education and interpretation at the Museum of African American History Boston/Nantucket; Roberto Mighty, an Edmonia Lewis filmmaker; and a representative from the USPS, according to organizers.

The forever stamp honoring Lewis, the first Black and Native American sculptor to gain international recognition, is based on a photo of her by Augustus Marshall made in Boston between 1854 and 1871, the postal service said.

Lewis planted roots in Boston, where the abolitionist movement was active, in the early 1860s after leaving Oberlin College in Ohio. This move, Braxton said, was key to the future of her career, allowing her access to learn and become skilled at her craft.

“William Lloyd Garrison was one of the leaders of the abolition movement that made sure that she got to the right people and continued her training,” Braxton said in a telephone interview. “That’s why it was an important time for her to be here in Boston.”

“Then after she left Boston, she was able to springboard her career in Italy and do a lot of her work and training and her exhibitions there,” Braxton added.

After Boston, Lewis sailed for Europe in 1865, eventually ending up in Rome where she continued her career. Her work can be seen today in places like the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and even locally in the Tufts Library in Weymouth.

The public is welcome to join Saturday’s event.

“It’s warming up, people are beginning to enjoy the outdoors, and we do think that the levels [of COVID] are low enough that people will come out for the celebration of this important icon in our history,” she said.

Edmonia Lewis will be celebrated during a Women's History Month event on March 19 in Roxbury. GBSNCNW


Continue reading for just $1
Only $1 for 6 months of unlimited access to Globe.com
Get access now
Thanks for reading Globe.com
Access unlimited articles for only $1.
Get access now