Divine, Father (George Baker)
c.1876-1965 · Contribution: 1919-1965
Religious leader; founder of the Peace Mission movement
Founded the International Peace Mission movement, an early and aggressive force for racial desegregation decades before the mainstream civil rights movement

Portraits are AI-generated interpretations, not photographs.
Quick facts
- Born
- c. 1876, likely Maryland
- Active since
- 1919
- Category
- Religious & Spiritual Leadership
- Best known for
- Founding the International Peace Mission movement
Impact on the world
Widely regarded by outside observers as a cult leader for claiming to be God, Divine nonetheless built one of the earliest sustained experiments in racial integration in America, providing food, shelter, and jobs during the Depression.
Sources
- Encyclopædia Britannica
1 more sources and references are available to members.
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