Dr. Ernest E. Just honored on new Black Heritage stamp

Dr. Ernest Everett Just, the Black biologist who specialized in the field of marine biology and the first person to receive the Spingarn Medal, was recently honored, some 55 years after his death, with a new U.S. Black Heritage stamp featuring him.

The new stamp became available on the first day of this month in celebration of Black History Month.

The Black Heritage stamp series began in 1978 and has honored such greats as Harriet Tubman, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Mary McLeod Bethune, W.E.B. DuBois, Percy Julian and Bessle Coleman.

In 1915, Dr. Just became the first recipient of the Spingarn Medal, the highest honor awarded by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). The award is given to Blacks who have made great strides in human service. He was also an educator who taught at Howard University in Washington, D.C. for 34 years.