Charles L. Blockson, "world-renowned historian of African American culture, founder and curator emeritus of the Charles L. Blockson Afro-American Collection at Temple University, award-winning scholar, and prolific author," died June 14 at age 89, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported. Blockson assembled two of the world's largest collections of African American history, culture, and contributions. In addition to the one at Temple, the Charles L. Blockson Collection of African-Americana and the African Diaspora resides at Pennsylvania State University, his alma mater.
Blockson was the first African American to write a cover story for National Geographic magazine, and he published more than a dozen books, including Black Genealogy; The Underground Railroad; Damn Rare: The Memoirs of an African-American Bibliophile; Liberty Bell Era: The African American Story; and The Haitian Revolution: Celebrating the First Black Republic. His most recent book, Blam! Black Lives Always Mattered!: Hidden African American Philadelphia of the Twentieth Century, was published in 2022.
An authority on the Underground Railroad and the Great Migration of the early 1900s, Blockson received the Philadelphia Award for community service in 2017. He told the Inquirer at the time that he was driven to "uncovering the history of our past in order to build a better future." In 2013, he said his collections are "a legacy that comes primarily from books and the people I met, all kinds of people of all ages. I am emeritus and all, but I will never retire.... I'm following a noble tradition from those who paved the way for me."
State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta said he will introduce legislation to mark Blockson's December 16 birthday as a state holiday, adding: "Charles Blockson is a giant of a man. He is a hero."
Diane Turner, curator of Temple's Blockson Collection, said that Blockson was "well-respected because of his passion for collecting, preserving and disseminating the histories of people of African descent. His collections make accessible rich and diverse stories about their histories and cultures. He has been a great influence on numerous scholars, students and people of all nationalities."
Blockson once said: "My main goal in life is to build a good library of Black history--knowledge is a form of Black power and this is my part in it."
