NEW YORK - Noted for her soaring voice and saint-like reputation, renowned classical singer and civil rights activist Marian Anderson was honored last week by the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) with her own stamp.

“Ms. Anderson was not only a fabulous singer, she was an incredible lady,” said Martini Arroyo, an opera singer and professor of music at Indiana University.

Anderson has become the 28th American honored in the long-running Black Heritage commemorative stamp series, joining other renowned African-Americans like civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr., Olympian Jesse Owens and educator Booker T. Washington.

“The use of commemorative stamps is a simple and effective way to bring awareness to others,” said John Hargett, a manager at the USPS and an African-American himself.

Anderson’s achievements were highlighted on the stage of The Town Hall last week in Midtown, where Anderson first performed in 1924 and again on 1935 after studying for 10 years in Europe. A New York Times critic saw the 1935 performance and hailed Anderson as “one of the great singers of our time.”

“Despite her talent, she was not allowed on many stages because she was black,” said Hargett.

In 1939, the prestigious Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) group refused to make its Washington venue, Constitution Hall, available for Anderson’s Easter concert due to a “white artist only” policy, according to the USPS. First Lady and Anderson fan, Eleanor Roosevelt immediately resigned from the DAR. Following this well-publicized controversy, the federal government invited Anderson to sing at a public recital on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. On Easter Sunday 1939, a reported 75,000 people came to hear the free recital. The performance was broadcast on radio nationwide.

As she neared the twilight of her musical career, Anderson became more active in politics, according the USPS. She performed at an inaugural ceremony for President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s second term and for the inauguration of President John F. Kennedy. The State Department named her a goodwill ambassador to Asia. In 1958, she was appointed a delegate to the thirteenth session of the United Nations.

At the historic March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in August 1963, Anderson again sang at the Lincoln Memorial. The following December, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.