Black History Month: The Enduring Legacy of Absalom Jones

Continuing our Black History Month series, we give thanks for the life and witness of the Rev. Absalom Jones, a pioneer whose faith and leadership helped shape the Episcopal Church in profound ways.

Born into slavery in 1746, Jones purchased his freedom and became a lay leader in the Methodist Episcopal Church before co-founding the Free African Society, one of the first mutual aid organizations for Black Americans. After experiencing discrimination within Methodist congregations, Jones and other Black Episcopalians founded the African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas in Philadelphia.

In 1802, Absalom Jones was ordained as the first African American priest in the Episcopal Church. His ministry focused on spiritual care, education, and advocacy for justice, embodying a vision of Christian leadership grounded in dignity and compassion.

Jones’ legacy continues to shape the Church today. One expression of that legacy is the Absalom Jones Fund, which supports students at the Episcopal Church’s two historically Black colleges and universities: Saint Augustine’s University in Raleigh, North Carolina, and Voorhees University in Denmark, South Carolina. The fund helps prepare young people for leadership in both Church and society.

Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe has encouraged Episcopalians to invest in these emerging leaders as a way of honoring Jones’s life and carrying his work forward.

Learn more about the Absalom Jones Fund HERE.

As we remember Absalom Jones during Black History Month, we are reminded that faithful leadership can transform communities for generations. May his example inspire us to support the leaders of today and tomorrow.