Charles L. Blockson Lecture on Frances E. W. Harper

A lecture by Charles L. Blockson on Frances E. W. Harper. Charles L. Blockson is founder and curator of the Charles L. Blockson Afro-American Collection at Temple University which incudes rare texts, slave narratives, art, and a host of other artifacts significant in African-American history.

Blockson has written several essays and books centered on African-American history, especially in Pennsylvania, including The Underground Railroad and Liberty Bell Era: The African-American Story.

“Frances Ellen Watkins Harper was an extraordinary woman of commitment and conviction for her people. She was a poet with a gift for words and an activist for African American, civil rights and Women’s rights. Oftentimes, she was overshadowed by her contemporaries, Harriet Tubman and Sojourner Truth, but she is a significant person whose legacy is long overdue.” – Charles L. Blockson