Richmond's First African Baptist Church (Images of America)

First African Baptist Church has served the Richmond community since 1780, proving to be a pillar of strength for African Americans in the former Confederate capital. The First African Baptist Church congregation endured slavery, the tumultuous years of the Civil War, Reconstruction, and repression from the white supremacist regime that dominated Virginia politics and persevered as a vibrant force through civil rights struggle and the daunting challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement. Such notables as Lott Carey, L. Douglas Wilder, Maggie Lena Walker, Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, Mary Lumpkin, and Henry "Box" Brown were church members.

Dr. Raymond Pierre Hylton is professor of history at Virginia Union University, authoring the history of Virginia Union University. He received his doctorate from University College Dublin in Ireland. Dr. Rodney D. Waller became senior pastor at First African in 2008, earning his doctorate at Virginia University of Lynchburg and his master of divinity and master of business administration from Virginia Union University and authoring several books on leadership. Dr. Kimberly A. Matthews is a professor of leadership at Virginia Commonwealth University, authoring the history of The Richmond Crusade for Voters and coauthoring The Richmond 34 and the Civil Rights Movement with Dr. Raymond Pierre Hylton. She received her doctorate from Virginia Commonwealth University.