The Story of the Rev. Dr. Alger L. Adams and his wife, Jessie–A Black History Story

The Rev. Dr. Alger L. Adams began his ministry as an assistant priest at St. Philip’s in Brooklyn. He went on to assist several other Black congregations around New York City over the next ten years. In 1947, a decade after his 1937 graduation from the General Theological Seminary—a delay driven by systemic barriers that restricted Black clergy to specific Black parishes—he was assigned to two congregations in Westchester County. During this period, he edited The Witness (Episcopal Church Publishing Company), a prominent journal of opinion founded in 1917 that served as a leading voice for the liberal and progressive social justice movements within the Episcopal Church. He also served as the managing editor of the Bulletin of the Diocese of New York, the direct predecessor to the Episcopal New Yorker, which until 2023 was the diocesan news source.

The parishes he took over in 1947 were St. Francis of Assisi in Elmsford and St. Augustine’s in Yonkers. Neither congregation possessed its own building at the time. Rev. Adams made structural growth a priority, spearheading intense fundraising campaigns that enabled both congregations to construct their own sanctuaries. Today, St. Francis of Assisi is part of St. Francis and St. Martha’s Church in White Plains, while St. Augustine’s merged with Christ Church to become Holy Cross Church in Yonkers. In 1950, recognizing the critical need for a publication dedicated to the interests of the local Black community, the Adamses purchased the Westchester County Press (WCP), which remains in publication today.

Rev. Adams concluded his full-time parochial ministry in 1957 to focus entirely on publishing the WCP, though he continued to serve the diocese faithfully as a supply priest. In 1962, the Adamses established The Creative Printery, an entrepreneurial venture specializing in publishing high school and college newspapers. Their successful track record within the diocese—from leading Black parishes to construct physical churches to breaking ground as successful entrepreneurs, journalists, and publishers—stands as a powerful testament to the historical achievements of Black Americans. The respective journeys of Alger and Jessie Adams from Omaha, Nebraska, and Beaumont, Texas, to New York, where they left an indelible mark on both the diocese and the wider community, represent a vital story worth knowing.