Lowriders, banned by California law as recently as 2023, are now being celebrated as a classic American art form rooted in people of Mexican descent, with a series of postage stamps recently unveiled in San Francisco.
The Lowrider Forever Postal Stamp formally recognizes a culture that for decades faced stigma and criminalization, the San Francisco Lowrider Council said.
“This isn’t just about a stamp; it’s about respect,” said Roberto Hernández, founder and president of the council.
“For years, our community fought for the right to cruise and express ourselves in the streets,” he said in a statement. “Seeing our culture honored by the USPS validates the history, craftsmanship, and community pride that has defined the Mission District and Latino neighborhoods across the country for generations.”
A ceremony introducing the stamps in San Francisco this past Saturday was accompanied by a car show with dozens of “meticulously crafted ‘low and slow’ masterpieces on display,” the council said.
California restricted modified vehicles, making it illegal to drive, showcase, and cruise with lowriders on city streets until two years ago.
The new stamps come in sheets of 78-cent Forever stamps with photographs of five lowrider models: a blue 1958 Chevrolet Impala named “Eight Figures;” an orange 1964 Chevrolet Impala, “The Golden Rose;” a green 1987 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme, “Pocket Change;” a blue 1946 Chevrolet Fleetline, “Let The Good Times Roll/Soy Como Soy (“I Am the Way I Am”),” and a red 1963 Chevrolet Impala, “El Rey,” according to the Postal Service.