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Coming In From The Cold

The Stamp Collecting Report, I'm Lloyd de Vries.

Supporters have been asking for a U-S stamp for Paul Robeson for years, but the
actor-singer-athlete-activist was passed over again and again, even for his 
centennial five years ago.

Robeson could do anything, it seems, except overcome racism, and as he became more 
bitter, he embraced communism. He was called before Congress, and his passport was 
revoked. 

Postal Service stamp developer Terry McCaffrey acknowledges there are still some 
bad feelings.

<"I'm sure there will be that level of negativity because of his political activism, 
which he was cleared of a few years later." RUNS :09>

But not entirely forgiven. Still the controversy may be good for the stamp.

<"We were all very concerned about, for instance, Malcolm X in the same series. We 
received a lot of negative comments on that, but it was one of our best-selling 
Black Heritage stamps." RUNS :09>

The stamp, which features a formal portrait of Robeson, will be issued in January.

And that's stamp collecting this week. I'm Lloyd de Vries, CBS News.



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