Stamp honors Fitzgerald in Black History Month MIDDLETOWN - To help mark Black History Month, which is celebrated in February, Monmouth County Freeholder Lillian G. Burry participated in a stamp dedication ceremony held recently at Brookdale Community College, Lincroft, to welcome the late Ella Fitzgerald into the United States Postal Service's Black Heritage Stamp Series. "Using her gift of song, her purity of tone and her faultless phrasing and intonation, Ella Fitzgerald was truly one of the great pioneers of American jazz," Burry told about 100 attendees on Feb. 3 at Brookdale's Performing Arts Center. "She is one of my favorite singers." The event celebrated the introduction of the Ella Fitzgerald commemorative stamp. Fitzgerald, known as America's "First Lady of Song," is the 30th inductee into the Black Heritage series. Other honorees include Thurgood Marshall, Hattie McDaniel, Harriet Tubman, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Roy Wilkins, George Washington Carver and Paul Robeson. On behalf of the Monmouth County Board of Freeholders, Burry presented a proclamation that not only commemorates the contributions Fitzgerald made through her music, but also recognizes other great black Americans in honor of Black History Month. "Throughout the years, African Americans have had the arduous task of overcoming the obstacles that discrimination placed in their path," Burry said. "We gather today in celebration of Black History Month and to recognize the contributions of Ella Fitzgerald and also countless other notable African-Americans such as Frederick Douglass, Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, Booker T. Washington, August Wilson, Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong." Also featured at the event was an exhibition of African-American stamp art from the collection of Wanda Garbett, which is on display in the Nilson Gallery at the Monmouth Museum on the Brookdale campus. Garbett's collection includes 40 framed enlarged copies of many stamps in the Black Heritage and Jazz Music Stamp series. The exhibition continues through Feb. 18 in celebration of Black History Month. Others who participated in the program include state Sen. Joseph Kyrillos, Don Neal, vice president of the Ebony Society of Philatelic Events and Reflections, and Vito J. Cetta, district manager for the U.S. Postal Service. Dr. Webster B. Trammell of Brookdale served as master of ceremonies. Music was provided by the Lincroft Business and Professional Women's Group Ensemble and singer Layonne Holmes, accompanied by pianist Neal Herstik.