Daily printout: April 15

Seeing lowriders depicted on U.S. postage stamps has brought joy, pride and validation to a community of vehicle enthusiasts whose vibrant artistry and craftmanship are expressions of their identity.

Beginning in the 1940s, working-class Mexican Americans, or Chicanos, throughout the American Southwest transformed old, ordinary cars into dazzling works of art as a way to display their artistic skills and create a sense of belonging.

Bright, colorful paint schemes, decorative striping and shiny chrome mark the lowriders, along with luxurious interiors, spotless undercarriages and hydraulic systems that allow the vehicles to bounce up and down or drive on three wheels.

Not built for speed as hot rods, the lowrider is low and slow, clean and mean. 

Creating these one-of-a-kind masterpieces takes a considerable amount of time and money, and it becomes a journey of self-expression and dedication, often connecting generations within families.

This is true for the Postal Service’s Greg and Vicki Valenzuela, and their son, Greg Jr.

Greg, a customer services supervisor at the Peoria, AZ, Post Office, has owned a 1968 Chevrolet Impala for 13 years. Vicki, division manager for implementation strategy for Western Processing Division, owns a 1970 Chevrolet Monte Carlo. Greg Jr. owns a 1986 G-Body Monte Carlo and a lowrider bicycle named “Chrome Bandit” that he built himself, as well as a 1959 Chevrolet Impala radio-controlled car that he painted and patterned.

“Vicki and I used to be into old trucks, but I always wanted to be involved in the lowrider scene. The sense of community and the cruising aspect of it pulled us in,” Greg said.

“Being a part of this community allows me to show appreciation for other people’s creativity, craftmanship and hard work on their cars,” Vicki said.

Working on their vehicles, cruising and attending car shows has brought them closer together.  

“The family time is the biggest enjoyment for me. We’re always together,” Greg said.

“And it’s an opportunity to meet other families and support the community,” Vicki said. “The lowrider community hosts many events and car shows to raise money in support of such things as charity organizations, funerals, scholarships, Christmas toys, backpacks and school supplies, and food boxes to give back to the community.”

She notes that lowriders come from all backgrounds, and judgment is not part of the community.

“It’s interesting, because Greg wears a tie and slacks every day for work, but on the weekends, he’s with me and our son and he’s three-wheeling in his Impala,” she said.

“During the week we’re busy, and we’re committed to our jobs,” Greg said. “Lowriding is a weekend enjoyment for us. We like how it emphasizes family and music and food, where people can feel comfortable. We feel comfortable there.”

In the 1980s, some city governments associated lowriders with street gangs, so they imposed anti-cruising laws and height restrictions on vehicles. But for families such as the Valenzuelas, running afoul of the law has never been the aim or the practice.

“Driving around is a peaceful thing to do,” Greg Jr. said. “It’s not gang-related. It’s really about family, and cruising together, and showing off your skills. That’s why these Lowriders stamps are so important. With the Postal Service now being involved in our community, it publicizes that lowriding is not a bad thing.”

He also sees how lowriding can be rehabilitating for certain individuals.

“I’ve met older guys in the lowrider community who made some bad choices, but they’re not like that anymore. With lowriding, it takes money to work on your car, so that means you need to get a job to earn that money. For them, lowriding has become something they can take pride in. It’s turned their lives around.”

The Postal Service dedicated its Lowriders stamps on March 13 at a well-attended ceremony in San Diego. The Valenzuelas made the roughly five-hour drive from Litchfield Park, AZ.

“Seeing the number of people there to support the stamps and the lowrider community was a proud moment for me. I got choked up when the stamps were unveiled. I’m not only proud for the Postal Service but also proud to be a postal employee and a lady lowrider who cruises with my family,” Vicki said.

The USPS stamp program serves to recognize America’s history, culture and its people. Greg Sr. sees this on full display with this release.

“Not every organization can show support for a community like this, but ours does,” he said proudly. “The Postal Service truly embraced the lowrider community with these stamps.”

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The latest episode of “Mailin’ It!,” the USPS podcast, explores how the organization is using technology to transform its network from traditional letter mail to doorstep parcel delivery.

The guest is Linda Malone, the Postal Service’s applied engineering vice president.

The 23-minute episode was released April 13 and is available on Link and other postal websites, as well as most podcast platforms.