Richard Allen, 1760–1831
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Richard Allen, 1760–1831
Church Founder
Richard Allen was the first African-American Christian bishop in North American and the founder the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church, one of America’s first truly independent black denominations. Today, the AME Church boasts more than 2.5 million members.
Allen also formed The Free Produce Society, where members committed to only purchasing products from non-enslaved labor. With a vision of equal treatment for all, he railed against slavery, influencing later civil rights leaders such as Frederick Douglass and Martin Luther King Jr.
“The plain and simple gospel suits best for any people.”