Stamp set celebrates Luther King Jr Mandela

1 January 0001

Designed by Dublin-based design studio Aad, the stamps feature photographs of Martin Luther King, Jr. at the famous ‘March on Washington’, (© Hulton-Deutsch Collection/Corbis/Getty Images) and Nelson Mandela in Soweto, September 1990 (© Alexander Joe/AFP/Getty Images).

The stamps are available from main post offices, from the stamp counters at Dublin’s GPO, or online at irishstamps.ie. Fittingly both stamps are intended for international mail and will carry a ‘W’ designation for worldwide posting.

Martin Luther King, Jr. was an American Baptist minister, activist, humanitarian and leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement.  He led the August 1963 ‘March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom’ where he gave his famous ‘I Have a Dream’ speech.

King, Jr. received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 for his non-violent campaign against racism.  He was assassinated on April 4, 1968.

Nelson Mandela, the anti-apartheid revolutionary spent 27 years in jail as a political prisoner.  Following his release in 1990, Mandela became the first black President of South Africa in 1994, serving until 1999.  He was jointly awarded the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize with Frederik Willem de Klerk in recognition of the peaceful change over of government and their efforts to end apartheid.