Freedom Riders
Columbia will host a public event and unveiling of the US Postal Service series of civil rights stamps, "To Form a More Perfect Union". The stamps commemorate such events as the Voting Rights Act, Freedom Riders, Brown v. Board of Education, the March on Washington, the Civil Rights Act, the Lunch counter sit-ins, and other landmark events. This event is co-sponsored by the US Postal Service and the Collaborative for Community Trust, and will take place at noon in front of the Modjeska Monteith Simkins Center for Justice, Ethics and Human Rights. Columbia, South Carolina will join Memphis, Selma, Washington, DC, Birmingham, and other states in marking this great event. All members of the progressive community in South Carolina are invited to be a part of this event. In addition to proclaiming the role that South Carolina has played in such landmark civil rights events as Brown v. Board of Education and the desegregation of public transportation, we also want to publicly demonstrate the commitment of South Carolinians to justice, equity, human and civil rights. For more information on the August 30 event, call Catherine Fleming Bruce at 803-960-2079. To Form A More Perfect Union stamps recognize the courage and achievement of the men and women who, during the years of the Civil Rights Movement, struggled to bring the vision of our founding fathers closer to reality. Ten important milestones of the Civil Rights Movement: Executive Order 9981 - the order issued by President Harry S. Truman that abolished segregation in the U.S. military; Brown v. Board of Education; Montgomery Bus Boycott; Little Rock Nine; Lunch Counter Sit-Ins; Freedom Riders; March on Washington, Civil Rights Act of 1964; Selma March and Voting Rights Act of 1965 - are commemorated with the To Form A More Perfect Union stamps.  Executive Order 9981
On July 26, 1948, President Harry S. Truman issued Executive Order 9981 mandating full integration in all branches of the U.S. military. By the time the Korean conflict ended in the following decade, this had largely been achieved. William H. Johnson's Training for War, a silk-screen print made circa 1941, recalls President Harry S. Truman's Executive Order. 
Lunch Counter Sit-Ins
When four African-American college students placed an order at a "whites only" lunch counter in Greensboro, NC, in 1960, they sparked acts of civil disobedience in many other cities. The sit-in movement to integrate "whites-only" lunch counters is recalled by an exhibit created for the National Civil Rights Museum by StudioEIS, a design and fabrication firm in New York. 
Montgomery Bus Boycott
After Rosa Parks was arrested on Dec. 1, 1955, for refusing to let a white passenger take her seat on a Montgomery, AL, bus, African Americans began a prolonged boycott of the bus company by walking or carpooling for more than a year. On Dec. 21, 1956, black passengers once again rode Montgomery City Lines. The Boycott is represented by a detail from Walking, a 1958 painting by Charles Alston. 
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Designed to provide broad protections against discrimination on the basis of race, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson. Among its other provisions, the law prohibited discrimination in public accommodations such as hotels, restaurants and theaters. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 is suggested by Dixie Café, a 1948 brush-and-ink drawing by Jacob Lawrence. 
March on Washington
More than 250,000 people marched in Washington, DC, for racial justice in 1963, and Martin Luther King, Jr., delivered his historic "I Have a Dream" speech from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. March on Washington, painted in 1964 by Alma Thomas, commemorates the great demonstration. 
Selma March
In the spring of 1965, demonstrators demanding an end to discrimination gathered in Selma, AL, to march to the state capital 50 miles away. This is represented by Selma March, a 1991 acrylic painting by Bernice Sims. 
Brown v. Board of Education
A unanimous ruling of the United States Supreme Court in the case of Brown v. Board of Education (1954) declared that separate educational facilities for black and white children are inherently unequal. The landmark ruling is suggested by Romare Bearden's lithograph, The Lamp (1984). 
Freedom Riders
To test a ruling that outlawed segregation of bus stations and terminals serving interstate travelers, biracial groups of men and women volunteered to take bus rides through the South, using the "wrong" facilities at stops. Several Freedom Riders were injured because of mob violence instigated by segregationists, eliciting an outpouring of support and concern. A gouache by May Stevens called Freedom Riders (1963) honors the Freedom Riders. 
Little Rock Nine
After the Supreme Court declared segregated schools unconstitutional in Brown v. Board of Education, many public school systems were slow to adapt to the new legal reality. In 1957, nine courageous students became the first African Americans to attend Central High School in Little Rock, AR, where they endured virulent harassment and received the protection of federal troops. George Hunt's painting, America Cares (1997), remembers the nine courageous students. 
Voting Rights Act of 1965
With leaders of the Civil Rights Movement standing by, President Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act into law, strengthening the federal government's ability to prevent state and local governments from denying citizens the right to vote because of their race. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is suggested by Bruce Davidson's photograph Youths on the Selma March (1965). These stamps, as well as a free comprehensive catalog, are available by calling 800-STAMP-24. A selection of stamps and other philatelic items are also available at the online Postal Store at www.usps.com/shop. In addition, beautifully custom-framed prints of original stamp designs are available at www.postalartgallery.com.
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Post Office Box 7933