Pennsylvania HR 365: A Resolution designating the month of May 2024 as "Jewish American Heritage Month" in Pennsylvania.

Bill Text

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
Designating December 16, 2025, as "Charles Blockson Day" in
Pennsylvania.
WHEREAS, Charles Leroy Blockson was born December 16, 1933,
in Norristown and was the oldest of eight children; and
WHEREAS, As a child, Mr. Blockson loved books and started
collecting them at a young age; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Blockson's passion for books started with an
incident while attending elementary school in the Norristown
area; and
WHEREAS, A fourth grade substitute teacher, a white woman,
told Mr. Blockson that Black people have no history and that
they were born to serve white people; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Blockson told his parents about the incident and
his parents introduced him to prominent Black literature, such
as The Philadelphia Tribune and other local Black newspapers,
The Crisis and Negro Digest magazines and works of prominent
Black men and women; and
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WHEREAS, At Norristown High School, Mr. Blockson was a Boy
Scout and a track and football star, and he won the shot put at
the 1948 Junior Olympics; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Blockson attended The Pennsylvania State
University, where he received a football scholarship and
graduated with a degree in Physical Education in 1956; and
WHEREAS, During his time at Penn State University, Mr.
Blockson played fullback for the Nittany Lions football team and
was a star on the track and field team; and
WHEREAS, During high school and college, Mr. Blockson would
go to bookstores while traveling to participate in sporting
events; and
WHEREAS, In 1956, Mr. Blockson was invited to play
professional football for the New York Giants; and
WHEREAS, After graduating, Mr. Blockson served in the Army
from 1957 to 1958 and afterwards started a janitorial business;
and
WHEREAS, In 1958, Mr. Blockson married Elizabeth Parker, and
they had a daughter Noelle, but they later divorced; and
WHEREAS, Over the course of his life, Mr. Blockson collected
various cultural artifacts; and
WHEREAS, This private collection became one of the world's
largest collections of African-American and African books,
papers, photos and artifacts; and
WHEREAS, In 1984, Mr. Blockson donated his personal
collection to Temple University; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Blockson cofounded the Afro-American Historical
and Cultural Museum in Philadelphia in 1976, published "Black
Genealogy" with Ron Fry in 1977 and served as curator of the
Charles L. Blockson Afro-American Collection of African-
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Americana and the African Diaspora at Penn State University; and
WHEREAS, In 1984, Mr. Blockson became the first African
American to write a cover story in National Geographic, writing
about the Underground Railroad; and
WHEREAS, Receiving numerous awards and honors, Mr. Blockson
contributed significantly to the knowledge of Black history and
encouraged its preservation and documentation; and
WHEREAS, Today, the Charles L. Blockson Afro-American
Collection at Temple University houses more than 700,000 items
relating to the global Black experience, and its extensive
catalog dates from 1581 to the present; and
WHEREAS, On June 14, 2023, Mr. Blockson passed away at the
age of 89; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Blockson left behind a wealth of knowledge, and
his impact should not go unappreciated; therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives designate
December 16, 2025, as "Charles Blockson Day" in Pennsylvania;
and be it further
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives emphasize the
importance of preserving and collecting histories so that future
generations can benefit from the wealth of knowledge.
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