Father Divine Establishes Peace Mission Community in Sayville, New York

In 1919, Father Divine (Major Jealous Divine) moved his Peace Mission movement to Sayville, Long Island, establishing a communal household that drew hundreds of new followers—including his first white converts—through the 1920s. He held free weekly banquets, helped newcomers find employment, and preached racial equality and economic cooperation. The movement would grow dramatically after 1932 when it relocated to Harlem, but its communal roots were established in the Sayville decade.