Absalom Jones was a co-founder of the Free African Society with Richard Allen, the first Black mutual aid organization, and a pioneering preacher who helped establish independent Black churches.
Absalom Jones (1738–1818) was born enslaved in Delaware and moved to Philadelphia, where he purchased his freedom in 1782. He became a Methodist preacher and, in 1787, co-founded the Free African Society with Richard Allen. This organization provided mutual aid, education, and community support for free Black people. Jones helped establish the first Black congregation within the Methodist Church, which later became part of the AME Church. He was a vocal advocate for abolition and civil rights, and his work laid the groundwork for Black institutional development in the early U.S.
