Founded in 1808 by Black and Ethiopian merchants who refused to accept segregated seating at a downtown Manhattan church, Abyssinian Baptist Church moved to its current Harlem sanctuary on West 138th Street in 1923. Under pastor Adam Clayton Powell Sr. and later his son, Congressman Adam Clayton Powell Jr., the church became one of the most influential pulpits in Black America, combining religious leadership with political organizing, labor advocacy, and voter mobilization throughout the Civil Rights era. It remains an active congregation and a center of Harlem community life.