Whereas,
Charles L. Blockson was born on December 16, 1933 in Norristown, Pennsylvania; and
Whereas,
he graduated from Pennsylvania State University in 1956 and during his early career taught local and multicultural history while serving as a human relations advisor for the Norristown Area School District; and
Whereas,
Mr. Blockson traveled around the world collecting rare African, African-American and African-Caribbean publications, some dating back to the sixteenth century; and
Whereas,
in 1982, Mr. Blockson donated his collection to Temple University and began serving as the curator; he preferred Temple over other prestigious repositories, including the Library of Congress, because Temple is located in the heart of an African-American community; and
Whereas,
the collection includes first-edition works by Phyllis Wheatly and W.E.B. DuBois; Paul Robeson’s sheet music; narratives by Sojourner Truth and Frederick Douglas, thousands of photographs and more than 500,000 items including rare books, manuscripts, prints, letters and archived issues of the Philadelphia Tribune; and
Whereas,
he now lectures internationally and organizes exhibitions and black studies programs around the country; and
Whereas,
he served as the director of the Pennsylvania Black History Committee, director of the Afro- American History Board and the governor’s commissioner for the Governor’s Heritage Program; and
Whereas,
he has been a member of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, the NAACP, the State University Alumni Council, the Urban League and the American Antiquarian society; and
Whereas,
he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Before Columbus Foundations and holds multiple honorary doctorates; and
Whereas,
he is considered one of the country’s leading experts of the Underground Railroad; and
Whereas,
Charles L.Blockson is scheduled to retire in December 2006; now therefore, be it
RESOLVED that the Philadelphia City Council Honors and Congratulates Charles L. Blockson on his Career as an Educator in African-American Studies, Collector of African and African-American Artifacts and Wishes Him Well on his Upcoming Retirement; and
FURTHER RESOLVED that an Engrossed Copy of this Resolution be Prepared as an Expression of this Body’s Sincere Appreciation of Mr. Blockson’s Contributions to the City and Nation.
End