HR 365 — A Resolution designating December 16, 2025, as "Charles Blockson Day" in Pennsylvania.

PRINTER'S NO.   2573

                  THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA



           HOUSE RESOLUTION
              No. 365
                                               Session of
                                                 2025

     INTRODUCED BY SCOTT, FREEMAN, RABB, HOHENSTEIN, GUENST AND
        SANCHEZ, NOVEMBER 5, 2025

     REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON TOURISM, RECREATION AND ECONOMIC
        DEVELOPMENT, NOVEMBER 6, 2025


                                A RESOLUTION
 1   Designating December 16, 2025, as "Charles Blockson Day" in
 2      Pennsylvania.
 3      WHEREAS, Charles Leroy Blockson was born December 16, 1933,
 4   in Norristown and was the oldest of eight children; and
 5      WHEREAS, As a child, Mr. Blockson loved books and started
 6   collecting them at a young age; and
 7      WHEREAS, Mr. Blockson's passion for books started with an
 8   incident while attending elementary school in the Norristown
 9   area; and
10      WHEREAS, A fourth grade substitute teacher, a white woman,
11   told Mr. Blockson that Black people have no history and that
12   they were born to serve white people; and
13      WHEREAS, Mr. Blockson told his parents about the incident and
14   his parents introduced him to prominent Black literature, such
15   as The Philadelphia Tribune and other local Black newspapers,
16   The Crisis and Negro Digest magazines and works of prominent
17   Black men and women; and
 1         WHEREAS, At Norristown High School, Mr. Blockson was a Boy
 2   Scout and a track and football star, and he won the shot put at
 3   the 1948 Junior Olympics; and
 4         WHEREAS, Mr. Blockson attended The Pennsylvania State
 5   University, where he received a football scholarship and
 6   graduated with a degree in Physical Education in 1956; and
 7         WHEREAS, During his time at Penn State University, Mr.
 8   Blockson played fullback for the Nittany Lions football team and
 9   was a star on the track and field team; and
10         WHEREAS, During high school and college, Mr. Blockson would
11   go to bookstores while traveling to participate in sporting
12   events; and
13         WHEREAS, In 1956, Mr. Blockson was invited to play
14   professional football for the New York Giants; and
15         WHEREAS, After graduating, Mr. Blockson served in the Army
16   from 1957 to 1958 and afterwards started a janitorial business;
17   and
18         WHEREAS, In 1958, Mr. Blockson married Elizabeth Parker, and
19   they had a daughter Noelle, but they later divorced; and
20         WHEREAS, Over the course of his life, Mr. Blockson collected
21   various cultural artifacts; and
22         WHEREAS, This private collection became one of the world's
23   largest collections of African-American and African books,
24   papers, photos and artifacts; and
25         WHEREAS, In 1984, Mr. Blockson donated his personal
26   collection to Temple University; and
27         WHEREAS, Mr. Blockson cofounded the Afro-American Historical
28   and Cultural Museum in Philadelphia in 1976, published "Black
29   Genealogy" with Ron Fry in 1977 and served as curator of the
30   Charles L. Blockson Afro-American Collection of African-

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 1   Americana and the African Diaspora at Penn State University; and
 2      WHEREAS, In 1984, Mr. Blockson became the first African
 3   American to write a cover story in National Geographic, writing
 4   about the Underground Railroad; and
 5      WHEREAS, Receiving numerous awards and honors, Mr. Blockson
 6   contributed significantly to the knowledge of Black history and
 7   encouraged its preservation and documentation; and
 8      WHEREAS, Today, the Charles L. Blockson Afro-American
 9   Collection at Temple University houses more than 700,000 items
10   relating to the global Black experience, and its extensive
11   catalog dates from 1581 to the present; and
12      WHEREAS, On June 14, 2023, Mr. Blockson passed away at the
13   age of 89; and
14      WHEREAS, Mr. Blockson left behind a wealth of knowledge, and
15   his impact should not go unappreciated; therefore be it
16      RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives designate
17   December 16, 2025, as "Charles Blockson Day" in Pennsylvania;
18   and be it further
19      RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives emphasize the
20   importance of preserving and collecting histories so that future
21   generations can benefit from the wealth of knowledge.




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