Ebony Society of Philatelic Events and Reflections (Esper)

the ebony society of philatelic events and reflections (esper) was founded by esper g. hayes. she started the club based on a promise she made to the great olympian, jesse owens. esper met the famous track star at a stamp show in the '70s. she stood in line for hours to get his autograph. she and jesse were the only african americans at the stamp show that day. during their conversation, jesse mentioned that maybe esper could do something to help black people take pride in themselves, and she agreed. after his death in 1980, esper turned her promise into a commitment. the ebony society of philatelic events and reflections was organized in 1988 and is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the collecting of stamps and philatelic material depicting people and events related to the african diaspora and to encouraging and supporting the interest and participation of black people in all aspects of philately. the society currently has almost 300 members throughout the