Abyssinian Baptist Church Becomes Center of Harlem Resistance and Social Services

Under Adam Clayton Powell Sr., the Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem grew from 1,600 members in 1908 to over 14,000 by 1930, making it the largest Protestant congregation in the country. The church operated as a comprehensive social institution providing food, employment assistance, legal aid, and health services to migrants excluded from white institutions. Powell organized boycotts against Harlem businesses that refused to hire Black workers. The church was a model of institution-building as resistance to racial exclusion from the mainstream economy.