[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 37 (Thursday, February 29, 2024)]
[House]
[Page H753]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





                       HONORING CHARLES BLOCKSON

  (Ms. SCANLON asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. SCANLON. Mr. Speaker, today I rise in honor of Charles Blockson, 
a native of Norristown, Pennsylvania, who dedicated his life to the 
preservation of African-American history.
  A prolific writer, collector, historian, and activist, Mr. Blockson 
authored 13 books and was a leading expert on the Underground Railroad.
  Charles Blockson dedicated his life and career to traveling and 
acquiring rare documents, publications, and photos to explore and 
expand the study of the Black American experience.
  He donated his remarkable collection to Temple University in 1984. 
Today, the world-renowned Blockson Collection houses more than 700,000 
items relating to the global Black experience, serving as a resource 
not just for Temple students and faculty but for the Philadelphia 
community and beyond.
  An exhibition documenting Mr. Blockson's life's work can also be seen 
at the Centre Theater in his hometown of Norristown.
  Charles Blockson passed away last summer. As a tribute to his 
tremendous legacy, I am proud to join my colleagues Madeleine Dean and 
Dwight Evans to introduce a bill designating his hometown post office 
in Norristown as the Charles L. Blockson Post Office.

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