Congressman Adam Clayton Powell Jr. and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. : Contemporaries deserving our accolades

The fact that these two giants both died on April 4th prompted the writer to take a fresh look at the two, side by side. They were contemporaries, Adam Clayton Powell Jr. living November 29, 1908, to April 4, 1972, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. living January 29, 1929, to April 4, 1968. During the 40 years they shared, one can find significant things they had in common and others showing them to be quite different.

For starters, they were both popular Black Baptist ministers. Powell pastored the Abyssinian Baptist Church in New York. King pastored Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery. Each was the son of a preacher man. 

Both men were passionate about the rights of working class people in America. 

 Clayton first raised his voice on their behalf as a member of the city council in New York. From there he was elevated to the U.S. House of Representatives as a member from Harlem. 

King first raised his voice as a protest leader in Alabama. From there he went on to the national civil rights stage.

It is worth noting that during his early tenure in Congress, Powell was one of only three African Americans members – Charles Diggs of Detroit, William Dawson of Chicago, and Powell of New York. Powell was by far the most outspoken of the three. Diggs made quite a name for himself for his role in the Emmett Till murder investigation. Dawson wielded wide patronage power as a loyal supporter of the Richard Daley machine in Chicago. 

Powell quickly became chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, where he successfully championed legislation that included the War on Poverty, minimum wage increases, early versions of Medicaid and Medicare, Head Start, and anti-racial discrimination bills. It is therefore easy to see how what Powell was doing in Congress mirrored what King was advocating in the streets. That makes it easy to believe when one hears that they were strong supporters of one another.

As quietly as it is kept today, Powell was the first public speaker to advocate “Black Power” for African Americans advancement. At that time, King had not been asked about any differences he may have had with the call for Black Power because Powell’s expression was pre-Stokely Carmichael. In that context, King and Powell were different from one another. 

Both King and Powell were very powerful speakers. Beyond that, King was very clear and courageous in speaking to the wealthy and powerful on behalf of Black and poor people. Powell was the same, except he also went the next step, using the power of his office to create or advance the policies with which he was concerned.

On this the 49th anniversary of the death of Congressman Adam Clayton Powell and the 53rd anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., we encourage our readers to consider the parallel activism of these heroes. They were two distinct individuals, who were also similar to a set of twins. Too often we come to think the path forward for Black people is only one narrow way, that the different approaches or strategies of different leaders meant there was disunity. King and Powell are two giants whose work perfectly aligned. They both deserve the praise and accolades of millions – past, present and future – who learn and benefit from their work.