Adam Clayton Powell Jr.
Adam Clayton Powell Jr. 1908 – 1972
Before leading a church and representing the citizens of Harlem, Adam Clayton Powell Jr. was a scholar. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Colgate University and two years later, his master’s degree from Columbia University. Powell’s career in the public eye began in 1937 when he took over for his father as pastor of the Abyssinian Baptist Church. Powell helped the church grow to over 13,000 members.
Powell’s popularity grew with every protest and rally he participated in or organized. Powell’s activism centered around helping disadvantaged Black communities. He organized picket lines and mass meetings to demand reforms at Harlem Hospital after they inexplicably terminated five Black doctors. Powell also fought to provide housing for lower income New Yorkers.
Most savvy of his early career attributes, Powell was able to utilize this large church following and convert it into political support. This support helped launch Powell’s political career starting with a successful run for New York City Council in 1941. Powell’s historic election made him the first Black candidate to win a seat on the New York City Council. Four years after this election, Powell won a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives representing Harlem’s district.
During Powell’s tenure, he served as chair on the Education and Labor Committee. Serving in this capacity gave Powell more power to work towards fulfilling campaign promises of ending poverty and racial oppression.
While Adam Clayton Powell Jr. is remembered for his activism, his role as a legislature was equally memorable. Powell played a pivotal role in the passage of the Minimum Wage Act and Antipoverty Act. What would come to be known as the Powell Amendment was added to the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This amendment was an adaptation of a legislative rider barring federal funds from segregated institutions that Powell unsuccessfully introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives countless times. A titan of the United States House of Representatives, Adam Clayton Powell Jr. represented New Yorkers in Harlem’s district for twelve terms.
