William J. Seymour, born May 7, 1870, became a pivotal figure in the spread of Pentecostalism. As the son of formerly enslaved parents in Louisiana, Seymour faced deep racial discrimination but found solace and leadership in Christianity. In 1906, his preaching ignited the Azusa Street Revival in Los Angeles, a multiracial, spirit-filled movement that profoundly shaped global Christianity. Seymour’s insistence on racial integration within worship services was revolutionary for its time. His leadership style was humble, Spirit-driven, and egalitarian, marking him as a major architect of modern Pentecostalism, now one of the world’s fastest-growing religious movements.
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