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.

Sources

  1. BlackPast.org

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