Honoring the Charles L. Blockson Afro-American Collection for its 40th Year Anniversary at Temple University where it collects, preserves, and disseminates the history and culture of the global Black experience.

Honoring the Charles L. Blockson Afro-American Collection for its 40th Year Anniversary at Temple University where it collects, preserves, and disseminates the history and culture of the global Black experience. BodyWHEREAS, Charles L. Blockson was born on December 16th 1933 in Norristown, Pennsylvania and in 1943 began his mission of uncovering, collecting, researching, and writing the history of Africans and African-Americans; and WHEREAS, After playing fullback for the Pennsylvania State University football team and serving as a member of the United States Army, Mr. Blockson traveled around the world collecting rare African, African-American and African-Caribbean publications; and WHEREAS, After 30 years of collecting artifacts touching on all aspects of the history and culture of Africans, Mr. Blockson decided to donate his collection to Temple University in Philadelphia. He selected Temple University because of its location in the heart of the African American community in North Philadelphia; and WHEREAS, The collection holds items dating back to 1581 and includes items from the Haitian Revolution, first-edition works of Phyllis Wheatley, Sojourner Truth, Frederick Douglass and W.E.B. DuBois as well as the John W. Mosley Photograph Collection; and WHEREAS, The collection is one of the nation’s leading research facilities and currently holds over 700,000 items. It provides materials, public programs, exhibitions and services for research scholars, students and the communi…