Norristown native Charles L. Blockson, a prominent historian who was the architect behind some of the nation’s most prestigious collections of African American artifacts, passed away at age 89, writes Chanel Hill for WHYY.

“I and countless others will carry my father’s memory in our hearts and will find comfort and strength in the profound and impactful legacy he leaves behind,” said his daughter Noelle P. Blockson.

Blockson was a historian, scholar, activist, and curator emeritus of the Charles L. Blockson Afro-American Collection at Temple University.

He traveled around the world to find rare African American publications and artifacts from the 16th century onwards and then acquire them for his collection.

In 1984, he donated the collection to Temple University to start the Charles L. Blockson Afro-American Collection. The catalog boasts over 700,000 books, documents, and photographs.

Blockson is also a co-founder of the African American Museum in Philadelphia. He has contributed to the National Museum of African American History and Culture at the Smithsonian Institution, to which he donated Harriet Tubman’s signed hymnal and other personal items in 2016.

Read more about Charles Blockson at WHYY.

________________________

Learn more about his legacy.