Announced October 23, 2023:

The Postal Service will issue its 10th stamp celebrating Kwanzaa in 2024. Observed from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1, the annual pan-African holiday brings together family, community and culture. The artwork for this colorful stamp is a digital collage depicting three figures: a male drummer and two female dancers. The art was inspired by a live performance witnessed by the artist, Ekua Holmes, during a Kwanzaa event. Ethel Kessler, an art director for USPS, designed the stamp.

Further information will be posted below the line, with the newest information at the top.

Updated November 5^th:
The Scott catalogue number for this issue is 5946.

Updated August 26^th:
[press release] [click on any of the pictures for larger versions]
Postal Service Issues Vibrant New Stamp to Honor Kwanzaa

What: The U.S. Postal Service continues its longstanding tradition of celebrating Kwanzaa, the annual Pan-African holiday that has united countless African American families and communities since its inception in 1966.
The first-day-of-issue event for the Kwanzaa stamp is free and open to the public. News of the stamp is being shared with the hashtag #KwanzaaStamp.

Who: Roderick Sallay, USPS director of legislative policy and strategic development

When: Wednesday, Sept. 25, at 12:30 p.m. EDT

Where:
Sen. John Heinz History Center
1212 Smallman Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15222

RSVP: Attendees are encouraged to register at: usps.com/kwanzaastamp.

Background: Kwanzaa, observed from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1, celebrates family, community and culture. Rooted in ancient and modern first-harvest festivals, Kwanzaa incorporates traditions from across the African continent to foster unity and pride.

Centered around the holiday’s seven founding principles — unity (umoja), self-determination (kujichagulia), collective work and responsibility (ujima), cooperative economics (ujamaa), purpose (nia), creativity (kuumba), and faith (imani), the holiday emphasizes the rich heritage and aspirations of the African American community.

It is a festive time for rejoicing in the prospect of health, prosperity and good luck in the coming year. It is also a time for contemplation and recollection of past hardships, faced by both individuals and communities, and the ways in which history can inform and affect future happiness.

Ethel Kessler, an art director for USPS, designed the stamp with original artwork by Ehua Holmes.

The Kwanzaa stamp is being issued as a Forever stamp in panes of 20. This stamp will always be equal in value to the current First-Class Mail 1-ounce price.

Updated August 22^nd:
Here are the first-day postmarks for this issue:The DCP measures 2.76″ x 1.32″ The Pictorial Postmark measures 2.49″ x 1.22″

On September 25, 2024, in Pittsburgh, PA, the United States Postal Service® will issue the Kwanzaa stamp (Forever® priced at the First-Class Mail® rate), in one design, in a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) pane of 20 stamps (Item 581600). This stamp will go on sale nationwide September 25, 2024, and must not be sold or canceled before the first-day-of-issue.

In 2024, the Postal Service™ issues its tenth stamp in celebration of Kwanzaa, the Pan-African holiday that brings family, community, and culture together for many African Americans over 7 days, from December 26 to January 1, each year. The stylized stamp design was inspired by a live performance during a Kwanzaa event as witnessed by the artist. Rendered as a digital collage, the artwork depicts three young performers: a male drummer and, behind and to either side of him, two female dancers. Art director Ethel Kessler designed the stamp with original artwork by Ekua Holmes.

Automatic distribution.

How to Order the First-Day-of-Issue Postmark:
Customers have 120 days to obtain the first-day-of-issue postmark by mail. They may purchase new stamps at their local Post Office® or at The Postal Store® website at store.usps.com/store/home. They must affix the stamps to envelopes of their choice, address the envelopes (to themselves or others), and place them in a larger envelope addressed to:

FDOI – Kwanzaa Stamp
USPS Stamp Fulfillment Services
8300 NE Underground Drive, Suite 300
Kansas City, MO 64144-9900

After applying the first-day-of-issue postmark, the Postal Service™ will return the envelopes through the mail. There is no charge for the postmark up to a quantity of 50. There is a 5-cent charge for each additional postmark over 50. All orders must be postmarked by January 25, 2025.

Technical Specifications:

Issue: Kwanzaa Stamp
Item Number: 581600
Denomination & Type of Issue: First-Class Mail Forever
Format: Pane of 20 (1 design)
Series: N/A
Issue Date & City: September 25, 2024, Pittsburgh, PA 15290
Art Director: Ethel Kessler, Bethesda, MD
Designer: Ethel Kessler, Bethesda, MD
Artist: Ekua Holmes, Boston, MA
Modeler: Joseph Sheeran
Manufacturing Process: Offset, Microprint
Printer: Ashton Potter
Press Type: Muller A76
Stamps per Pane: 20
Print Quantity: 12,000,000
Paper Type: Nonphosphored Type III, Block Tag Applied
Adhesive Type: Pressure-sensitive
Colors: Black, Cyan, Magenta, Yellow
Stamp Orientation: Vertical
Image Area (w x h): 0.8180 x 1.0500 in. / 20.7770 x 26.6700 mm
Overall Size (w x h): 0.9100 x 1.1900 in. / 23.1140 x 30.2260 mm
Full Pane Size (w x h): 5.5500 x 5.7600 in. / 140.9700 x 146.3040 mm
Plate Size: 320 stamps per revolution
Plate Number: “P” followed by four (4) single digits in four corners
Marginal Markings:
Front: Plate number in four corners
Back: © 2023 USPS • USPS Logo • Two barcodes (581600) • Plate position diagram (8) • Promotional text

Updated May 20^th:
This stamp will be issued September 25 in Pittsburgh, Pa.