12-year-old promotes stamp for Lewis & Clark's slave
theGRIO REPORT - During a trip to the post office, Davis found numerous stamps of historic African-American figures, yet York was not amongst them...
Jackson Davis V, a 12-year-old boy with an adventurous spirit and inquisitive mind is running a campaign to post the face of York, Lewis and Clark’s African-American enslaved manservant, on a postage stamp.
In February of 2011, Davis’s class at Lowell Elementary School was assigned to do a report on the Lewis and Clark expedition. Jackson Davis says that Lowell Elementary School teaches him to “Think outside the box and got me into writing letters and to do extraordinary things.” While researching the duo, Davis discovered that William Clark had a slave named York.
During a trip to the post office, Davis found numerous stamps of historic African-American figures, yet York was not amongst them. He didn’t understand why Lewis and Clark were on a stamp, and their Native American guide Sacagawea had a coin, but York did not get any recognition. “Stamps are the most visible things out there. What better way to honor someone than to put their face on a stamp?” said Davis. Jackson’s mother, Cyn Davis says this is her proud moment, when “A kid asks the right question.”
Jackson Davis, who is the great-grandson of a DC postal worker, wrote a letter and sent his essay to USPS Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee asking that they consider honoring York with a Black Heritage Stamp. The USPS responded saying that his proposal is “under consideration.”
Since then Jackson has written and received support letters from Rep. Chris Van Hollen, Dr. Henry L. Gates, Sen. Cardin, William Burris American Postal Workers Union (AFL-CIO) and Mont. County Executive Ike Leggett. Congressman Chris Van Hollen helped Davis in gaining support for his letters with President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden who wrote Davis a letter in return.
President Obama responded saying “Your ideas are important to me, and your generation will play an important role in shaping our country’s future…. Young people like you inspire me and give me tremendous hope for the future… I wish you all the best.”
Today, Jackson is progressing with his campaign, by creating a Facebook page titled “Vote 4 York Black Heritage Stamp 2013” which has 1544 fans, his own YouTube channel named JacksonDavisV’s Channel where he urges people to fill out a petition to create a York stamp.
Davis’ family fully supports Jackson and his cause. His parents Cyn Davis and Jackson Davis IV support him in his campaign and assist him with his Facebook page and shooting his YouTube videos in their backyard with his mother’s iPhone. His Grandmother Dr. Annetter Davis, a professor at Howard University, is the leader of the York petition, urging students to participate, and Jackson’s eight-year old sister Gayle Scout Davis helps to mail the petitions.
Barry Glassner, the president of the Lewis and Clark College has invited Jackson to visit the campus. Jackson and his family are raising money to go visit the campus in Portland, Oregon by selling rubber bracelets that advocate the York stamp.
Also, Jackson has been invited to speak at Howard University on what his mother Cyn Davis refers to as, “The power of a letter.” Jackson will speak to the freshman class on how to write an effective letter and his lecture will also feature workshops to walk students through the process. In addition to these visits, Jackson is also writing an article for ESPER, a Black Philatelist Group.
These events have prompted Jackson Davis to ask, “What if someone forgot about me and my country?”
