Crummell, Alexander

1819-1898 · Contribution: 1842-1897

Episcopal priest; scholar; Pan-Africanist

Became one of the first Black Americans ordained an Episcopal priest, founded St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Washington, D.C., the first independent Black Episcopal congregation in the city, and in 1897 co-founded the American Negro Academy, the first major organization supporting Black scholarship in America

Religious & Spiritual Leadership: collage image
Religious & Spiritual Leadership

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Quick facts

Born
1819, New York City
Active since
1842
Category
Religious & Spiritual Leadership
Best known for
Pioneering Black Episcopal priest and co-founder of the American Negro Academy

Impact on the world

Crummell fused the priesthood, scholarship, and Pan-African vision, insisting on Black intellectual and institutional self-determination in an era that denied both, and his ideas shaped Du Bois, Garvey, and generations of Black nationalist thought.

An alternative history

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Sources

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