Robert Robinson Taylor, often recognized as the first African-American graduate of the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology, was honored by the U.S. Postal Service, becoming the 38th honoree in its Black Heritage Stamp series.
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The first-day-of-issuance ceremony at the Smithsonianโs National Postal Museum in Washington, D.C., overlapped with the museumโs exhibit โFreedom Around the Corner: Black America From the Civil War to Civil Rights,โ a press release notes. White House Senior Adviser Valerie Jarrett, who is also Taylorโs great-granddaughter, joined Postmaster Gen. Megan Brennan for the ceremony.
โAny time I face a daunting challenge and self-doubt creeps in, I think of my great-grandfather Robert Taylor, the son of a slave, who traveled from Wilmington, N.C., to attend MIT in 1882,โ Jarrett said, according to the release. โHe believed that with a good education, hard work, relentless determination and a dedication to family, there were no limits to what he could accomplish. The example he set gives me strength and courage. My family is proud to stand on his shoulders, and we know that it is our responsibility to embrace his values, to ensure that his legacy will be โforever stampedโ in the [consciousness] of future generations.โ
โRobert Robinson Taylor expanded opportunities for African Americans in fields that had largely been closed to them,โ Brennan, who earned her MBA from MIT, added. โBooker T. Washington recruited Taylor to the Tuskegee Institute to help show the world what an all-black institution could accomplish. Taylor designed and oversaw the construction of dozens of new buildings built in an elegant, dignified style that befitted his personality. But it was Tuskegeeโs chapel that Taylor considered to be his finest achievement and masterpiece. Washington referred to the graceful, round-arch structure as the โmost imposing buildingโ at Tuskegee. As one of our nationโs calling cards, we hope this stamp will encourage more Americans to learn more about Robert Robinson Taylorโs life and career.โ
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