Adam Clayton Powell, Jr.

Adam Clayton Powell, Jr., ordained a Baptist minister, is best known as the first person of African American descent elected to U.S. Congress. He served in the House of Representatives (D-NY) from 1945 to 1971, becoming a nationally-known advocate of civil rights and social justice. Although dogged by controversy, he rose to chair the Education and Labor Committee of the House.

Powell is the author of four books: Marching Blacks: An Interpretive History of the Rise of the Black Common Man (1945), The New Image in Education (1962), Keep the Faith, Baby! (1967) and Adam by Adam: The Autobiography of Adam Clayton Powell Jr. (1971). A documentary on Powell’s life was made in 1989, and a cable television film based on his book Keep the Faith, Baby debuted in 2002.