On May 5, 1865, pastor and civil rights activist Adam Clayton Powell Sr. was born in Franklin County, Virginia. After a troubled youth, he turned to Christianity and later earned a degree from Wayland Seminary in 1892.

Powell married Mattie Fletcher and had two children, including Adam Clayton Powell Jr. In 1893, he became pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Philadelphia, growing the congregation from 25 to 600.

In 1908, he took leadership of Abyssinian Baptist Church in Manhattan, expanding it into the largest church in the United States. He advocated against racial injustice, joined the NAACP and Urban League, and led a 1917 silent protest.

Powell retired in 1937 and died in New York City in 1953 at age 88.

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