Adam Clayton Powell Jr., a groundbreaking politician, minister, and civil rights activist, was born in New Haven, Connecticut. He became the first African American from New York elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, serving from 1945 to 1971.
As chairman of the powerful House Education and Labor Committee, Powell was instrumental in passing key social legislation under Presidents Kennedy and Johnson, including minimum wage increases, education funding, and civil rights laws. He was also pastor of the Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem and a powerful voice for racial justice and economic equality.
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