Dr. James Paradis, Adjunct Professor of History, and the Citizens for the Restoration of Historical La Mott (CROHL) was awarded a Certificate of Recognition from the Cheltenham Branch of the NAACP.

The recognition is “in honor of your outstanding dedication and commitment to protect and preserve for future generations the heritage of La Mott and the legacy of the U.S. Colored Troops who trained at Camp William Penn.”

For many years, Paradis has been a member of Board of Directors of CROHL, which is charged with the preservation of the site of Camp William Penn and the expansion of the museum of U.S. Colored Troops. Paradis chairs of the Program Committee. Camp William Penn, in what is now Cheltenham, was the first and largest of the training camps for black troops in the Civil War.

“CROHL obtained funds to make a documentary on the camp and engaged Munas-Bass Production to film it. Director Warren Bass, filmmaker, is head of the film department at Temple University, and Zilan Munas is producer. Warren read my book Strike the Blow for Freedom: The Sixth Regiment of United States Colored Infantry in the Civil War, which had a chapter on Camp William Penn. He asked me to be historical consultant and narrator for the documentary. The film, Black Soldiers in Blue: The Story of Camp William Penn, premiered at the Museum of African American History and Culture in 2009. It has won recognition an a number of film festivals,” Paradis said.

In light of the work of the work CROHL has done over the years, on June 25, the Cheltenham Branch of the NAACP awarded a Certificate of Recognition to members of the board.