[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 52 (Wednesday, April 14, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E538-E539]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    A TRIBUTE TO CHARLES L. BLOCKSON

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ROBERT A. BRADY

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 14, 2010

  Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, I rise to honor a true 
American treasure: Historian and collector Charles L. Blockson. Mr. 
Blockson is the founder and curator of the Charles L. Blockson Afro-
American Collection of rare texts, slave narratives, art and other 
historically significant artifacts located at Temple University in the 
First Congressional District. It is one of the largest African American 
collections of its kind at a major university.

[[Page E539]]

  Comprised of more than 40,000 items, the Blockson Collection 
continues to grow through the acquisition of both current and 
retrospective materials. An estimated 25,000 volumes fill the shelves 
of the collection and an additional 3,500 volumes are rare books. 
Another 15,000 items of rare Afro-Americana include pamphlets, slave 
narratives, antislavery broadsides, signed letters, posters, 
photographs, sheet music, original phonograph recordings and statues.
  On March 10, 2010, in recognition of Women's History Month and on the 
188th anniversary of the birth of the African American abolitionist 
Harriet Tubman, I was pleased to honor Mr. Blockson for his donation of 
his collection of Harriet Tubman artifacts to the Smithsonian National 
Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC). The donated 
artifacts included a shawl given to Harriet Tubman by England's Queen 
Victoria, historic photographs and a hymnal signed by Tubman.
  By making this donation to the Smithsonian's National Museum of 
African American History and Culture, Mr. Blockson has ensured that 
this unparalleled collection will be shared with millions of visitors 
to the museum. Madam Speaker, I ask you and my other distinguished 
colleagues to join me in commending Mr. Blockson whose donation 
represents a continuum of a life dedicated to preserving African 
American history.

                          ____________________