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Adam Clayton Powell Jr.
The flamboyant Harlem preacher who turned a pulpit and a seat in Congress into real power.
The rise
Pastor of Harlem's vast Abyssinian Baptist Church, Powell led Depression-era protests for jobs and in 1945 became one of the first Black congressmen from the Northeast.
What they did
As chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee he shepherded dozens of landmark social laws — minimum wage, education and anti-poverty measures — and relentlessly attacked segregation in Congress.
The full picture
Accusations of misconduct and misuse of funds led the House to exclude him in 1967; the Supreme Court ruled the exclusion unconstitutional, but scandal shadowed his final years.
Why it matters
Powell showed how Black political power could be built and wielded inside the halls of Congress to deliver concrete gains.
“Keep the faith, baby.”